


Times Change

by Scorpius_Wears_Short_Skirts



Series: YCTH!Verse [12]
Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Awkward Dates, Bad Humor, Courtship, Cultural Differences, Drinking, Drunk Sex, Dubious Science, F/M, Flashbacks, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, From Sex to Love, Headcanon, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, M/M, Moral Ambiguity, Multi, Mutual Pining, Niffty is in Hell for a reason, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Passive-aggression, Period-Typical Sexism, Polyamory, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Rejection, Sharing a Bed, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Victorian Attitudes, Weird Biology
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 17:08:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 31
Words: 35,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22259758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scorpius_Wears_Short_Skirts/pseuds/Scorpius_Wears_Short_Skirts
Summary: Sir Pentious likes Niffty but she doesn't seem interested.Husk also likes Niffty, but isn't about to do anything that might affect their friendship....and Niffty is just tired.
Relationships: Husk/Niffty, Husk/Niffty/Sir Pentious, Husk/Sir Pentious, Niffty/Sir Pentious (Hazbin Hotel)
Series: YCTH!Verse [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1569163
Comments: 195
Kudos: 464





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Pentious is absolutely stuck in his time and he's going to have to unlearn some shit.

Charlie had offered Pentious a room while his dirigible was under repair by the eggbois. It was a brief but pleasant stay. Every morning he woke up with tea already at his bedside. Every day was a roll of dice on whether it was peaceful or chaotic which seemed to depend solely on the red deer's mood, which was irksome but Pentious was not about to complain when he was being housed for no recompense. It was an unspoken truce of sorts. 

It only took a bit of observation before Pentious realised that the little ladybug woman and the winged cat were friends but clearly not courting. He'd also learned from observation that the woman's name was Niffty. He wasn't sure why he was so taken with her so quickly but he couldn't deny that she was intriguing. She was very polite but could be scathing in the same breath without resorting to rude language which was a rarity in Hell. She had the courage to look a brute in the eye and be kind to their face while simultaneously planning to harm and it was never without justification; another rarity. 

Eventually Pentious's airship was in working order and he was able to go home, but the petite housekeeper stayed on his mind long after he'd left her presence. 

Despite the clear strength of character, Niffty seemed dainty and fragile like a flower to be protected. Well, who better to protect than a certain snake with a small army of disposable hencheggs, an arsenal of weaponry, and an armoured airship. Surely, Pentious reasoned, he would be able to court her easily. He just needed advice on how to begin from someone who knew Niffty personally which is why he decided to ask the cat.

"You're monologuing." Husk grunted, not happy about having been tracked down to his favorite casino on his night off. "And you're an idiot. You shouldn't bother."

"Why not? The lady Niffty is not already attached, is she?" Pentious asked.

"Goddamn you're old…" Husk sighed. "What you just fucking said is one reason." 

"What is wrong with what I said?" Pentious asked, genuinely confused.

"Look, jackass, I know you're from a time where nobody wanted to acknowledge that women are people but she died in the fifties. I lived through the fifties. Women were fighting to be considered people and even if she wanted to be with anyone she wouldn't go for some other asshole that just wants a housewife and not a friend." Husk explained. 

"And you're a _friend._ " Pentious hissed softly, an accusation hidden under his tone. "I see." 

"Yeah. I am her friend. That's all and it don't matter because if that's all she wants then it's enough." Husk gruffed. "Now quit bothering me. And don't bother Niffty. She's been through enough shit without you causing more." 

Pentious didn't listen, but he did take a subtle approach. If several multiple paged letters and a mass of flowers were to be considered subtle. Niffty threw them all away, growing quite irritated. Husk couldn't do much more than watch and listen as she grumbled to him about having so much more unwanted clutter to deal with. 

"Nobody needs thirty roses!" Niffty squeaked, dumping yet another bag of flowers into the garbage. "All they're going to do it wilt and then they'll rot in their vase water and that'll make germs and someone will get sick and it's just a waste! Flowers are hard to grow. Especially in Hell. Just leave them in the ground!" 

"Have you even read the letters?" Husk asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"I can barely understand those." Niffty admitted. "It's like bad poetry with extra letters all over the place." 

Husk chuckled and rolled his eyes. He almost felt bad for the snake. Almost. He was far more amused by just how badly Pentious was fucking up. The harder Pentious tried, the less receptive Niffty was. 

It only got more complicated when Pentious came back to the hotel in person to deliver the newest letter and bouquet with his own hands. 

"I must say though our interaction has been brief I am quite smitten with you." Sir Pentious stated holding out a bouquet of flowers tied in white ribbon; Mostly white and pink camellias surrounded in bluebells and for some strange reason _grass._ It was much smaller than the usual group of roses packed in a pile bigger than Niffty herself, but it was also much more specific. 

"Oh don't be silly! You barely know me." Niffty pointed out, her voice wavering as she was a bit uncomfortable. She did not take the flowers.

"I would like to," Pentious continued. "If you would allow me--"

"I'm sorry but I have to go." Niffty said, taking another step back before turning to leave entirely.

"Wait!" Pentious called.

Niffty was already dashing away with a strained but cheerful goodbye.

"Told you not to bother." Husk chimed in once the little woman was well out of earshot, snickering into his drink.

Pentious frowned and reevaluated the situation. He knew the owner of the hotel was in a relationship with another woman. Her business partner was married to another man. Pentious hadn't seen the bartender attached to anyone romantically but the couples he did see were all of a same-sex nature. He couldn't help but droop a bit, dropping the flowers on the bartop and coliling himself on a stool.

"Miss Niffty… Is she a bit _funny_ , too?"

Husk gave him a blank look before he realized what he was being asked, then broke out into laughter. The sort of laughter that made his face ache and his stomach sick. He even teared up a little, so tickled by the question.

"She's not a lesbian just because she turned _you_ down." Husk finally said once he could breathe normally. "She might be the only straight one in the hotel."

"Oh." Pentious said, drooping even more until his chin rested directly on the bar.

A short, stout glass slid over and bonked him on the snout. He looked at it, then to the cat. He straightened up to look at the drink properly. It was simple, brown, iceless, and had a lemon peel in it.

"What is this?"

"A sazerac." Husk answered simply. "On the house. It's been a while since I laughed that hard."

Pentious scowled, not enjoying the fact that Husk seemed to be mocking him. He took a sip anyway, wincing at the bitterness. 

Husk snorted. "Not a drinker?"

"Not often." Pentious answered. Feeling as if the cat was challenging him, he took another, larger drink from the cup. He would have gagged if not for the fact his body didn't have that specific action as a reflex. 

"Well it's a good a cure as any for rejection." Husk shrugged, making his own glass to match.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sir Pentious can't handle his alcohol very well and is a sleepy drunk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many headcanons based on snake biology!

Sir Pentious had a very slow metabolism so he didn't actually feel his drinks until well into the sixth. He'd been trying to keep pace with Husk, as he was ever competitive, but suddenly it all hit him at once and he was bombarded with a severe dizzy spell that had him falling right off of the stool and onto the floor.

Husk laughed, slapping his claws on the bartop before walking around to help the snake up. It was well past midnight now and both men were off their heads but Husk was handling himself much better. 

"You stupid son of a bitch. Here. Up we go." Husk said, fiting his claws under the snake's arms and hoisting him up.

"Ssshhut up. I don't need hhhelp." Pentious huffed, his hiss more apparent as the alcohol caused him to slur his words. 

"Yeah you do." Husk snickered. "Which way do you live again?"

"Up." Pentious answered. "In ttthhe airsship." 

Husk clicked his tongue at that. He decided very quickly that he was not drunk enough to go flying at a blimp full of violent and stupid eggs just to return a completely inebriated snake. Not today. Instead he hauled the cobra further up, onto his shoulder, and dragged him up the stairs.

"You're very ssstrong." Pentious remarked in awe.

"I was a soldier." Husk dismissed, feeling a curious tug at his tail. He flicked it away from the snake's wandering hands. "Leave that alone." 

"Where are we going?" Pentious asked.

" _You_ are going to bed. I'm going back to the bar."

"Noooo…" 

"Yep. You'll thank me later." 

Husk shifted Pentious on his shoulder a bit to pull his room key out of his hat. Pentious didn't have a room any more, so Husk's would have to do. He ended up asleep at the bar enough times that he could spend the night there. As soon as he got the door open and stepped into his room, the snake's tail stopped being deadweight and curled tightening over Husk's other shoulder, around his back, and crushed his legs together. 

"What the fuck?" Husk shouted in surprise, falling over on the floor since the sudden constriction and earlier drinks had knocked out his balance. "Let me go before I tear you open. I got a handful of razor blades, stupid jackass." Husk warned. One of his arms and a wing were to tightly stuck in coils to get free, but he had one set of claws available which he brandished in warning.

"I don't want to be alone…" Pentious whined, but he did loosen up his grip. "Sssorry…" 

Husk sighed and pushed the snake off of him, getting up and dusting himself off. He closed his eyes, cursing every step of his life and death that had brought him to this point in time. 

"I'll stay until you're asleep." Husk allowed, grabbing a book and settling into his rocking chair.

Sir Pentious, of course, decided that meant that he should resist sleep as long as possible. He did pull himself onto the bed, staying on top of the covers rather than under them. He seemed to prefer using his own body as a blanket as he had curled up in what could only be described as a pile.

"What are you reading?" Pentious asked from under his own body.

"The Archer King." Husk replied, shifting to Pentious could see the cover. "It's like a rewrite of Robin Hood."

"Isss it good?" 

"I'm reading it aren't I?" Husk gruffed, having to read the page he was on over again because Pentious had distracted him. "Hush. Go to sleep." 

"...I'm cold." 

"Then get under the fucking blanket! My sheets ain't dirty."

"Blanketssss hold in warmttthh, not make it. I can't make my own warmttthh." Pentious explained.

Husk squinted. "How do you usually sleep alone, then?"

"I have an electric blanket." Sir Pentious answered. 

"You're gonna set yourself on fire with those things." Husk grumbled. He set his book down, irritated that he had barely gotten through a full page. "Alright, this is only happening once. Scoot over." 

There was a ripple of coils, like black and yellow spaghetti shuffling over to one side of the bed instead of the middle. Husk flopped onto the available space, rolling onto his stomach and dropping a wing over the snake who flinched but relaxed a second later.

"Shit, you _are_ cold." 

"I sssssaid asss much." Pentious hissed.

Pentious untangled himself a bit in favor of coiling around Husk again who only allowed it based on the fact it was a much looser hold. It was a bit weird given Pentious's body shape. Certainly not the strangest body type Hell had to offer but it was much more flexible than the more common humanoid-shaped demons. Regardless of the unfamiliarity of being held onto by a cold, thick rope, it was a bit nice to be held at all. Husk didn't make a habit of sharing his bed; He was no longer one for romance and only occasionally picking up someone at a bar that wasn't his own which he certainly never stayed after to cuddle. He'd forgotten how nice it was to just share space. Even if it was with some old weirdo that annoyed him. 

Peace never lasted long for Husk, however, and after a few moments of quiet he couldn't help but notice a couple of protrusions poking against his knee. Normally he could have guessed what it was but the fact that he felt two threw him off a bit.

"You growing legs?" Husk asked confused but not bothering to move so he could look.

"Oh goddamn it." Pentious removed himself from Husk entirely to pull himself back into the tangle he'd been in before. "How humiliating…" 

Husk had been confused before, but Pentious reaction was an answer all its own and Husk had another good laugh out of it. 

"Asking me if Niffty's 'a bit funny' and you're a bit funny too aren't you?" Husk snickered, withdrawing his wing so he could roll onto his side and sit up. 

"I am not!" Pentious protested. "I like _women._ "

"So do I." Husk huffed, his whiskers pulled close to his face and his maw clearly showing his teeth as he fought to keep his chortling a manageable volume. "Don't mean I can't like men too." 

"Ttthhat…" Pentious began, and Husk almost started up crying from how hard he was trying to stop laughing. The confused journey Pentious's face was going on was just too much. "Tthhhat can happen?" 

"Fuck, you're repressed aren't you?" Husk snorted.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Husk gives Pentious an awkward sex ed lesson and it escalates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut in this chapter. Be prepared for weird biology because these boys arent human anymore.

Husk really hadn't expected his night to wind up explaining sexualities to a cobra. Given a choice he would have redirected the lesson to the actual sex worker in the hotel, but it was late and he knew Pentious and Angel didn't get along very well. He also didn't want the situation getting back to Alastor. Or anyone.

"So, _you_ like men and women." Pentious clarified for what had to be the tenth time.

"And whatever." Husk nodded. 

"What'sss the 'whatever'?"

"Some people aren't men or women. They're their own thing." Husk sighed. "Or they're both."

"That can't be real." Pentious said in disbelief.

"Well it is. Welcome to the future." Husk gruffed. "Could've been learning this shit as you go. You've had time."

"But what about--?" Pentious started, and Husk could guess where that question was going because he'd heard both Angel and Genie complain about it.

"Best not to ask anyone what their downstairs situation is unless you're planning on fucking them." Husk said quickly. "This is Hell anyway. Chances are even cis people got something weird going on anyway." Husk teased, gesturing with a claw to Pentious's still visible hemipenes.

Pentious wasn't fully hard anymore, but they were still peeking from his vent. He scoffed, rolling onto his stomach to hide them. Husk realised he had offended the snake, but didn't really care much. 

"What do you have then? You walk around in the nude constantly and I see nothing."

"You don't wear pants, and I _just_ said don't ask unless sex is involved." Husk rolled his eyes. 

"How, pray tell, am I sssupposed to wear trouserss with thisss?" Pentious asked, flexing his entire tail.

"Skirt."

 _"No!"_ Pentious said, "I'm a man!"

"So?" Husk raised a brow. "Since we're being fucking uncomfortably personal right now I have a sheath. My fur's long enough to hide it. My fur is also long enough to make zippers painful and wearing clothes for any period of time is itchy. Fur gets bent wrong. Pulls. Chafes. Easier to just not wear anything." 

"You could take the time to shear yourself."

"Sloth." Husk admitted. 

Pentious looked up, surprised to be told which cardinal sin Husk had been damned for. Husk hadn't even meant to say, but while he wasn't even very tipsy he had dropped his guard considerably from the earlier drinking. 

"Pride." Pentious returned, also considerably less guarded than he had ever been. "And greed." 

"Shit, you're in for two. Is that why you got two dicks?"

"No, I think that isss just becausse I'm a sssnake now." Pentious sighed, then decided to add cheekily. "I thought you weren't sssuppossed to asssk unlesss planning on intercourssse?" 

"Wouldn't turn it down."

Pentious, having not expected such a blunt positive, dropped his face down into a fold of the blanket to hide his blush. His hood flared, further hiding his face. Husk laughed.

"You probably need to get laid anyway." Husk mused, wondering if Pentious's fixation on Niffty was just due to needing to get some frustration out of his system. 

Hell knows Husk had had his fair share of dry spells ended by falling into the arms or between the legs of the first person willing to have him. He could relate to pining over the first person to be nice to him, both in life and in his afterlife. It was likely Pentious was going through the same thing and had only just recently been available enough to let anyone be nice to him. It had to be hard to let anyone close when you lived behind the steel armour of an airship far off of the ground. 

Pentious flinched slightly and looked up when he felt a wide paw on his back, claws hooking under the collar of his shirt. He glared at Husk, but it lacked any real anger. Husk in turn just cocked his head, gently tugging at the back of the shirt again in question he clearly wasn't sure if he should voice. Pentious was a bit grateful for that, as he wasn't sure if he could handle being asked directly when he wasn't even sure what to do. Shifting somewhat, he unbuttoned the front of his shirt and then helped the cat get it off of his shoulders. 

"There. Now we're both naked. Fair?" Husk said, tossing the shirt on the floor.

"That iss going to wrinkle." Pentious huffed.

"Just hang it up in the bathroom when you take a shower. Steam and gravity'll fix it." Husk shrugged, nudging at the snake's shoulder.

Pentious rolled onto his back, feeling far too exposed. He was cold blooded but he was sure he would overheat if the cat leaned over him any closer. And then Husk did lean closer and Pentious couldn't hold in the surprised whine when a hot mouth latched onto the side of his neck. He had almost expected to be kissed, but this was an exceptional start too.

Husk pressed his palm against Pentious's vent, prompting his cocks to slide further out in interest. He was careful of his claws, and as dangerous as they looked Pentious was no less eager to be touched. Husk's other paw was on himself to coax his own dick out of his sheath and Pentious stiffened at the sight of it.

"You have ssspikess…" Pentious pointed out.

"Just texture. They won't hurt." Husk assured, swinging a leg over Pentious's tail to straddle him. Normally Husk preferred to be the one between someone's legs but that wasn't a viable option in this case. 

"What are you going to do to me? Why would it hurt?" Pentious asked tensely, sitting up.

"Nothing you don't let me do." Husk answered simply. "And it _won't_ hurt. I know what I'm doing. You ain't my first guy." 

Pentious looked about to say something else, but the words died in his throat to be replaced by a gasp as Husk slotted his own cock between the snake's. Husk rolled his hips and Pentious shuddered and fell back from his sitting position. Husk followed him down, biting and sucking a trail down his scaled throat. A bit overwhelmed already, Pentious needed to hold onto something to ground himself but he was surprised by the low rumbling he felt through the cat's chest once he clutched at his fur.

"You're purring?"

"Shut up." Husk said, the vibration muddling his words a bit. "Put one of those hands to use." He suggested, reminding the other that his claws weren't the best for the current activity by digging them into the scales of Pentious's hip.

Pentious groaned, surprised at himself at how much he actually liked the warning scratch. Luckily his own hands weren't nearly as dangerous and he kept his own claws short for propriety's sake. His grooming had paid off it seemed, as he reached between their stomachs to hold all three lengths together. He didn't miss how Husk's wings quivered above them. He also couldn't resist coiling the end of his tail around one of the cat's legs while Husk's own tail lashed wildly behind him.

Glancing at Husk's claws again, Pentious let go of the tuft of fur he'd still been holding onto. He switched which hands held their cocks and moved the hand he'd been using, now slick from their shared self lubricating fluids, lower between then to slip a finger into his own hole. He keened, not used to having any sort of intrusion. He wasn't completely ignorant of sex between men, even if he hadn't really considered in engaging it. Sure he'd thought of it. He assumed everyone had and that it was just a passing fancy. He supposed it was too late to be thinking such a way now that he was under another man and thoroughly enjoying the fact. 

Husk noticed; It was hard not to with the back of a bony hand pressed up against his balls. Amused and curious he shifted back a bit just as Pentious shoved a second finger into himself, hissing at the stretch.

"Slow down. You'll rip something rushing." Husk advised. 

"I'm not weak." Pentious snarled.

"I didn't say you were." Husk shrugged. "Try pressing up toward your belly. There's a nerve up there " 

Pentious squinted but did as he was told. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to be feeling around for until he grazed it, his back arching off of the bed.

"Oh! Good lord." Pentious shouted, curling his fingers to find it again. 

"Yeah, that's your prostate." Husk snickered, palming himself idly as he watched Pentious pleasure himself and taking notice as the snake's cocks started to drip with precome.

Husk batted Pentious hands away after a minute, earning an irritated hiss for it. The hiss didn't last for very long however once Husk had the head of his dick lined up to Pentious's hole. 

"Gracious, this is really happening." Pentious muttered.

Husk paused, his purr which had been a constant since it started stuttering to a raspy halt. "Should I stop?"

"No." Pentious tried to press closer but didn't have much leverage from how he lay. "Continue, please."

"Alright, breathe slow for a bit." Husk said softly, slowly thrusting in.

Even with the suggestion, Pentious felt it hard to breathe at all. His hood flared halfway as he could feel each of Husk's spikes as they passed into him, glad that they actually were just a texture as stated. He was also surprised to find that Husk had also been right about the fact it didn't hurt so much as cause a pleasant burn to flow through his nerves, up his spine, and into a sort of comfortable buzz at the base of his skull. He felt almost feverish.

Husk bottomed out with a hum, his purr starting up again. He waited to give them both time to gather their wits before rolling his hips. Pentious responded with a loud whimper that surprised both of them and it reminded Husk that they were in a hotel with thin walls and probably-sleeping guests.

"How flexible are you?" He asked.

"What?" Pentious asked. 

Husk didn't bother pulling out or explaining. He just grabbed Pentious by the hips to turn him sideways and shoved at his shoulder so he would be face-down. He pulled the snake's tail up over his shoulder and a wing, holding it steady there while his other paw held Pentious down between the shoulders. The angle was a bit awkward but worked just fine once Husk picked a rhythm and Pentious caught on eagerly, soon screaming to his heart's content with the cat holding him facedown to be muffled by the pillow. The position also allowed him to rut both cocks against Husk's thigh. 

Husk used his wings for extra power in his thrusts once he realized Pentious could take it, and Pentious came almost embarrassingly quickly onto Husk's fur. Husk was happy to fuck him through it, unable to resist the urge to bit into the back of the snake's shoulder and coming soon after while Pentious shivered from the over stimulation. 

He pulled out, grimacing a bit at the seed leaking out onto the bed. He went to the bathroom, wetting a washcloth and wiping the come from his thigh before it dried in his fur and then tossing it onto Pentious's back. Pentious flinched at the cold wetness, but turned over to clean himself off. Husk noticed a wetness under the snake's eyes. 

"Sorry about being too rough." Husk said, not sure if he had misread body language somewhere. "You okay?"

"What?" Pentious asked, startled. 

"You're crying." 

"I'm quite alright." Pentious dismissed, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "Nerves catching up to me."

"Sure." Husk nodded. Some people cried during or after sex. He didn't judge it, he just didn't want to be an ass that ignored it if it was his fault. He glanced at the clock and frowned, pulling the soiled sheet off of the bed before climbing back on. "We should get some sleep."

"Yes." Pentious agreed, settling into Husk's arms. His tail coiled around the cat as Husk's wings covered them both.

"This doesn't leave this room." Husk said sternly the next morning. "You might want to get out before the others wake up." Husk pointed out, picking his bowtie off of the arm of his rocking chair and tying it around his neck without bothering with a mirror.

"Oh. Y-yes. Of course." Pentious stammered his agreement, feeling oddly disappointed. "Wouldn't want people to talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pentious is a bottom and a screamer I'm so serious right now
> 
> I drew something regarding this chapter: https://bayouboy-alastor.tumblr.com/post/190391701784/penhusk-lewd-how-the-fuck-do-you-do-a-read-more


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How do you respond to a tipsy one night stand? Flowers? More flowers?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pen, honey, that's not what not leaving the room means.

Niffty looked about ready to have a fit when she started her day's work just for four eggbois to come in toting two large crates full of flowers. In one was a mass of pink camellias. In the other, orange orchids. Husk sighed, disappointed that the night of bad dick decisions hadn't gotten the infatuation out of the snake's system as he had hoped. Apparently it just made things worse.

Niffty kept her cheerful face on as she systematically got rid of the flowers, only looking at the cards attached as a courtesy. The got all of the camellias taken out to the garbage before pausing at the letter tacked onto the front of the crate of orchids.

"This one's for you." Niffty said, surprised.

"What?" Husk asked, not sure if he'd heard right.

"It has your name on it." Niffty clarified, taking the letter to the bar and hopping up to pass it over. 

Husk took it quickly, stuffing it into his hat for later. He left the bar to inspect the crate with a passive grunt. "Toss the flowers. I don't want them." 

"On it!" Niffty agreed, missing the fact that Husk lifted one of the orchids and put that into his hat as well. 

Stage magic was a helpful hobby and was useful for gambling, so taking something small without being noticed was a peculiar talent Husk had acquired. It was harder without sleeves or pockets to rely on but still doable. He didn't know why he kept the flower or the note. Probably because nobody had ever sent him flowers or written him anything more meaningful than a birthday card, so for now he would blame the novelty of the situation.

"He's relentless!" Niffty returned from her task, dusting off her skirt. 

"Yeah that's a word for it." Husk agreed. "I'd say oblivious." 

"That too." Niffty nodded. "I'm glad it's not just me now though. Maybe he's just trying to be nice. Weird the flowers were so different though."

"Yeah." Husk dismissed, then actually thought about it. The flowers were _personalized_ , he realised. "Hey, yeah. They are, aren't they?"

"What's he basing them off of?" Niffty wondered aloud, and Husk couldn't help but wonder the same thing. "Well at least if it's both of us then it's probably not romantic. He's just being sweet. Whew!" 

"Probably a cultural thing. He's been dead over a hundred years and from England. He's bound to be weird." Husk shrugged, making a mental note to go kick the snake's ass the next chance he got.

"I'm sure that's it." Niffty agreed, pulling a vacuum out of the maintenance closet. "I'm going to hit the floors really quick and then do a round of laundry.

"Don't do my room." Husk said quickly, remembering the dirty sheet he'd left on the floor. "I'll get my own shit later."

"Oh? You don't usually bother." Niffty's eye narrowed as she smiled knowingly. "Had a girl over? I thought I heard squealing." 

"Eh," Husk grunted and shrugged. He wasn't going to deny he had company but he also wasn't going to elaborate. It was better to let her think what she wanted. "That would be telling."

"Angel tells." Niffty whined, pointing to the spider since he had walked into the lobby. 

Angel squinted, having clearly just woken up and wondering why the staff was talking about him so early when he hadn't even done anything yet. He also made way too much eye contact at Husk before giving the cat a crooked smirk, giving Husk the impression that Angel knew exactly what had happened and therefore way too much. 

"Angel's a skank. I ain't." Husk snorted as he met Angel's eye, half asking the other to say nothing, and half threatening in case he did. 

"Hell yeah, I am." Angel answered with a laugh, gently tugging the leash in his hand as he decided to stay out of it. "Come on Nuggets. Outside!" 

"Right! You're a gentlman." Niffty teased, hopping onto the counter to pat Husk's head. 

He snarled, but let her do it before she zipped back down to the floor and started her daily tasks. Husk watched her go, guilt and confliction churning in his gut. He decided that he had better drown that shit before it got any worse and picked a bottle of whiskey to keep open under the counter for himself for the day. Or whenever it ran out. Whichever came first.

Niffty went about her day cheerfully. She got the floors done, barging into rooms without do not disturb signs, much to the annoyance of guests in occupied ones, and deliberately ramming the vacuum loudly against the doors of the ones that did. Truly, it was the little bits of antagonization she could get away with that made Hell bearable. 

For the open rooms she quickly stripped the beds and bagged any laundry, tossing it all into a large cart. When it got too heavy to push, she summoned a swarm of ants and beetles to do it for her. Once laundry and linens had been started she moved onto the windows which took about the same amount of time for the washing to finish. She went back to move the wet clothes and sheets into the dryer, then took a breather. 

For fifteen whole seconds. 

Then Niffty was off to the kitchens to clear up the clutter she knew guests and Alastor had left. She cleaned the dishes and the counters and mopped the floor before looking at the clock and sighing. It wasn't even noon yet. She hated how slow the world seemed to move sometimes. She sighed, writing the time on a notepad in her pocket before fixing herself something simple to eat; A few eggs and something brought in and forgotten by Alastor that wasn't quite bacon. 

She ended up not eating all of it and brought the rest to Husk, who thanked her even as he tossed the not-bacon into the garbage can under the bar. She expected as much. Though she didn't really care where her meals came from she understood Husk was more squeamish. 

"Done already?" He asked.

"For now. I have to put the sheets and laundry back in all the rooms but they're still drying." 

"Do you want any help with folding?" Husk offered.

"No. Then it'll all be done too fast! You have the bar to watch anyway." Niffty declined and zipped away to finish her last real chore before resigning herself to spot cleaning for the day. 

Husk had a good few hours of relative peace before Angel slid into a stool with a shit-eating grin splitting his face. 

"What." Husk grunted when Angel had stared at him for too long, his expression looking almost like it would fit better on Alastor.

"Snakes, huh?" Angel said, holding up two fingers and wiggling them.

"Fuck off." Husk hissed, downing the remainder of the whiskey he'd hidden. "How'd you even know?"

"I can smell it." Angel snickered, tapping an eyespot. "Take a fuckin' shower."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The bacon is demon skin if anyone wants to know


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Husk is invited and Pentious is _not_ nervous at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dont even know okay, I was researching cobra habitats and also I'm tired and snakes are cool

Husk opened the letter in the privacy of his room after his shift was done. He could see what Niffty meant about bad poetry with too many letters. It was also in some sort of calligraphy which didn't help the readability. Reading through it again, Husk could glean that it was an invitation to whatever 'high tea' was. There was also some sappy shit about the line of contrast of Husk's black fur turning white at his belly but Husk rolled his eyes and ignored that.

"High tea…" Husk pondered aloud to himself since he was alone in his room. "The fuck is that?"

The term was somewhat familiar, no doubt he'd read it in a book, but it hadn't stuck enough to know. He knew tea in general was considered its own meal in england but when he thought of it the first image that sprang to mind was his daughter sitting on the floor with her stuffed animals spilling water all over the floor because the plastic tea set she'd gotten for her birthday from her uncle wasn't actually meant to have any liquids in it. The thought made him smile for a moment before the nostalgia made way for grief and his heart started to hurt.

Husk threw the invitation away and gathered his sheets to get his own laundry started. If he didn't get them cleaned and sorted then Niffty would do it herself regardless of him telling her to just leave it. She hated clutter. 

An hour later he dug the note out of the trash to see if there was a date and time on it. He blamed curiosity. Sure, curiosity killed the cat but he was dead already so there wasn't much left to threaten him with. If nothing else he could tell Pentious in person to not send him shit. 

Two days passed since Sir Pentious had spent the night with Husk. His airship was airborne, but still under maintenance. His personal greenroom was in top shape, as was the primary engine, but the rest was keeping him and the eggbois very busy. Most of his weaponry had to be rebuilt from scratch. Luckily while the eggs were only somewhat smarter than furniture, they all had remarkable memories. Rebuilding meant room to make improvements anyway and despite it taking up so much time Pentious enjoyed staying busy. He had nothing but time anyway. 

Finally when a path from the entry hatch to the greenroom was clear and presentable, Pentious had the eggs set up a table for his expected guests next to the pond. The greenroom was a bright space, warm and perhaps a bit humid. Plant life lined every wall as well as forming a winding path to a pond in the corner that rested at the base of a pump-powered waterfall. Most of the plants were flowering, reacting to the manufactured mockery of springtime no matter what time of year it was outside of the room.

Gardening was difficult in Hell with no sun to shed light and with most plants being picky in the first place. Pentious had the light fixtures in the room fitted with special bulbs for that reason, and also to provide extra warmth to himself. He usually didn't allow the eggs to step foot in the greenroom, but since it was a special occasion he allowed them the privilege under the condition that they touch nothing other than the food and furniture they brought in. That didn't stop Egg #16 from picking one of the violets, but throwing it from a window to splatter against the side of a building was warning enough to the others.

Pentious knew Husk had wings, but not how well he could use them. He also hadn't seen any wings on Niffty, whom he had also invited, so he reluctantly landed the airship not too far from the hotel. He'd had to demolish a building to make room which caused quite the stir of demons scurrying away from the destruction. Pentious laughed and let the eggs loose to play, maiming and looting as they wished for a few minutes of chaos before they pulled back to defend the grounded ship.

A few eggs returned to the ships interior. Two of them got busy with cooking, one stayed near the hatch, and one loitered around the entry to the greenroom without going in. Pentious idled in the doorway, voicing his concerns to the nearest egg as they came up.

"It's not too forward to invite _two_ guests to my home, is it? They would be chaperoning each other." Pentious mused. "Two is a bit much I suppose… Sir Husk did say it was perfectly alright by today's standards to like men and women. I see no reason it can't be both at once. Everyone's gone crazy as it is, so I may as well follow and surpass."

The egg shrugged, sitting on the floor and doodling in the blank spaces of an old newspaper. 

"I don't even know why I'm so hesitant all of the sudden. Invitations are sent. There's no second guessing now!" 

"Don't worry, Boss!" The egg said cheerfully. 

"I am not worried." Pentious protested. "I do not worry."

An hour later he was absolutely worrying. His guests were late. The meal he had the eggs prepare was growing room temperature and the fact it was a very warm room could only slow that process down so much. He was about ready to throw the table when the eggs all seemed to grow restless. He left the greenroom to see why. A moment later, a winged cat was escorted in through the hatch.

"What the fuck is High Tea?" Husk asked, shoving an egg away from where it had latched onto his leg with a wing. 

"You'll see." Pentious smiled. "Is Lady Niffty joining us? I invited her as well."

"That's awkward…" Husk muttered. "She throws all the shit you send her in the garbage."

"What a waste…" Pentious sighed. "You didn't?"

"Tossed most of it but I read your note in case it was something important." Husk shrugged. 

"Hm." Pentious acknowledged, gesturing for the cat to follow him into the greenroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want a flower jungle so badly... Just openly projecting.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tea goes rather well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey why am i suddenly obsessed with pentious?? How did this happen?

"Woah…" Husk couldn't help but be impressed by the extensive indoor garden he'd walked into. It was too warm for comfort and Husk's fur was almost instantly damp from the humidity, but it was beautiful. After so much dim light and dark colors of the rest of Hell, Husk had almost forgotten how bright colors could be. It almost hurt his eyes. He could also clearly hear rushing water somewhere nearby. "Did you grow all of these yourself?"

"Yes. It took some trial and error but once I got it to flourish it was easy to maintain. I even make my own tea out of some of them." Pentious confirmed. "Of course I had to rebuild after your _friend_ tore everything down. Luckily the eggs saved most of the plants, even if just the roots."

"Yeah, he can be a bit much." Husk agreed as he followed the snake through the winding pathway to the table overseeing a pond and waterfall. 

Three places were set, but Pentious clicked his fingers and an egg ran in. "Get these out of my sight and warm the food up." He hissed quietly as he gave the egg one of the sets of plate, silverware, and cup, along with the chair. He rearranged the table quickly as the egg took the unwanted items away, shoving the egg away with his tail to prevent it from dawdling.

"So is this a fucking date?" Husk had to ask.

"Do you want it to be?" Pentious returned, pulling out one of the chairs for Husk.

"No." Husk said, because he wasn't even sure.

"Then it isn't." Pentious decided, not letting on that he was just a bit disappointed. Pentious sat down, his tail coiling around the legs of his chair. An egg appeared and set a ceramic tea set down, as well as a tray full of tins that all smelled a different sort of herbal. There was also a small pitcher of milk and a bowl of sugar. "I wasn't sure of your preference of tea so I had a variety prepared."

Husk rolled his eyes and sat down. "If this is about the other night, I said to leave it in my room."

"Then why are you bringing it up?" Pentious asked, transparently trying to turn the blame around.

"Oh fuck off. We were drunk." Husk defended. "No reason to send me flowers over it. Especially not publically."

"Not _that_ drunk." Pentious raised a brow, hood flaring somewhat. "I do not feel taken advantage of. Do you?"

"No." Husk shrugged and shook his head. "But it was just supposed to be a casual thing." 

"I sent you the flowers that I did because I would not mind it _casually_ happening again." 

"So they _are_ personalized." Husk stated as if he had solved a very small and mundane mystery.

"Yes. I thought they were clear enough." Pentious's brow furrowed. "I suppose a second flower would have made them more clear." 

"I have no idea what the fuck you're talking about." Husk said, picking a tin at random and sniffing it. 

It smelled sharp, like mint. He put it back down and tried one that smelled milder. He ended up settling on one made out of lavender. He set it up in his cup to steep, having no idea how he was actually supposed to do it if not for having just watched the snake fix his own.

"Flowers are meaningful." Pentious explained, letting his confusion show openly. "Or they _were_. Are they not now?"

"Far as I know, they just look pretty." Husk admitted. 

"Oh." Pentious looked down into his tea. "Another thing that's changed without me."

The eggs brought in a cart before Husk could respond to that, which was lucky since Husk wasn't sure how to. On the cart were meat pies, some sort of overly cheesy potato casserole, a pan of mixed vegetables, and something in a covered tin that Husk couldn't see into but could smell that it was something sweet. Husk wound up not even drinking his tea, but he ate well. He'd never turn down a free meal. 

"So high tea is just fancy-ass dinner." Husk decided

"If those are the words you wish to use." Pentious allowed, reaching to uncover the tin. 

Under it was a sort of cake, with fruit and syrup instead of icing. Pentious cut it in half, the first time he'd bothered to lift a finger instead of letting the eggs do all of the real work. The eggs hadn't been by again since they started eating, and at some point Husk noticed the room had warmed up even more. He couldn't see the door through shrubbery, but he had guessed the door had closed. He was alone with Pentious now, in a garden by a waterfall eating cake. It felt like some oddly pleasant fever dream than anything real.

"Goddamn, my afterlife got weird quick." Husk mumbled. 

"I think everyone's did." Pentious agreed. "I try to embrace it when I can. Even if I am behind time I think that may be for the better on certain occasions." 

"How's that?" 

"I, at least, have maintained propriety." Pentious gestured to the grand room around them. "We may all be animals now, but why should we act like beasts? We all have a mind and it irks me that so many demons refuse to use theirs. That said," Pentious smiled over his plate, having finished his own food quickly while Husk continued to eat. "The eggs will not bother us for a few hours if you would like to be improper and beastly with me again."

Husk coughed in surprise and choked on his cake. 

When he got back home to the hotel he smelled like flowers and sweat, and to make it worse, Angel was awake and in the lobby to laugh at him. He told the spider to shut up, trudging to his room to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things just keep getting complicated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vivzie said Niffty writes fanfic so I'm running with that.

Niffty was in better spirits when the flowers stopped cluttering up the lobby. She was still getting letters, and likewise still throwing them away. Husk was happy to see her in a better mood, grateful that Pentious could take being directly told things even if he was a bit too dense to take a hint. 

With the bit of extra free time cleared up from the lack of flowers, she spent some time at the bar to write in a little polka dotted notebook. Husk watched her fondly a while, knowing she was too focused on her scribblings to notice. He'd given her a shirley temple since she didn't drink very often and never on shift, and kept the glass filled without being asked.

"What's your muse this time?" Husk asked when he saw the pen stop.

"I Love Lucy." Niffty replied. "I'm putting Lucy and Ricky in the Twilight Zone. All social expectations are backwards and Ricky's the only one noticing." 

"Damn. You'll have to let me read that one." Husk said with a chuckle. 

"I'm thinking I might put in something following him around too, but it might be a little much." Niffty shrugged, writing out a sentence before scratching it out and rewriting it again with different wording. "What do you think?"

"Twilight Zone was good because it was a bit much." Husk reasoned, thoughtful. "What if it's Lucy following him?" 

"Lucy's already in it." Niffty pointed out.

"Two Lucys. One's a fake."

"Oh Husk, you're a genius!" Niffty praised, turning her page and jotting down notes to use later. 

Something in Husk's chest swelled to see her so excited. He didn't have the words to say how beautiful he thought it was that her voice cracked when she was honestly happy, how much her smile made him feel like maybe he wasn't really in Hell if he got to see it, and that he'd listen to her ramble for hours about anything she wanted if only she'd allow herself to sit with him that long. He knew that even if he did have the words that she probably wouldn't want to hear them. So he didn't try. 

Instead he said what she would accept. "Hey, I just tossed in some bullshit. You're the mastermind." 

It was a bit concerning to Husk that he got another invitation to the airship a few days later even though the snake was still clearly trying to court Niffty. She didn't seem interested in the slightest though, so Husk didn't see the harm in going. And then it just kept happening.

It wasn't _all_ sex, though that did turn out to be the usual ending to any night Husk spent with Pentious. Husk would have preferred if it was, just a warm body to fool around with to work out the stress and aggression of another day in Hell. But no. Pentious, while learning how liberating physical intimacy without need for the emotional aspect of it could be, wasn't able to wrap around the concept of there being no strings at all. There was no simple fuck and flee with the snake. There always had to be at least a conversation and the comfort of knowing that this time would not be the last time. 

It became almost routine to meet in the greenroom, deciding it better to keep their meetings out of the hotel due to noise. Pentious would show off a new invention he'd thought up, even if it was just in the design stage. Husk would educate him on anything he asked about regarding more modern things. Husk hated it but he was starting to consider Pentious an actual friend. One of so few. Pentious didn't seem to care about Husk's thorny exterior; The man tended roses after all. He just cared that Husk would listen to him rant and actually provide his own insight rather than spit up empty compliments like the eggs did, or petty insults like other demons did.

"Niffty ain't had to clean up flowers in a while. Don't think I didn't notice." Husk pointed out, pulling himself out of the surprisingly warm pond while Pentious stayed in the water. "Thanks for that."

"Well you did say I was causing more work for her and with no one knowing what flowers are for anymore it was clear I haven't been speaking her language." Pentious sighed. "I will think of something more to her liking eventually."

"So you're still sweet on her." Husk shook out his fur and grabbed a towel off of a vine covered railing.

"Aren't you?"

Husk grimaced but didn't bother denying it. His silence was answer enough. 

"I'm aware I don't know her as well as you do. You have an advantage."

"She's not a contest." Husk quickly protested.

"I know." 

"I ain't going to try ruining your shot if she ever starts to like you back." Husk assured, tilting his head and tugging an ear to try to get the water out of it. "I ain't trying shit. I already know she don't see me the way I see her and that's fine by me. Only thing worse than being in love is when it falls apart, so I best not even start. By all means, though. You go ahead and tear your own heart out trying." 

"You've been heartbroken, I take it." Pentious said, resting his weight on his arms at the edge of the pond while his tail swayed lazily in the water, seeming more amused than sympathetic.

"Divorce. Sort of. No papers but she walked out." Husk admitted. "And she was right to."

"In my day marriage was to the death." Pentious scoffed.

"Good thing you're dead then."

Pentious frowned at that. "Husk I loved my wife. I still do, though I haven't seen her in so long I've forgotten her face." He lifted himself from the water, moving surprisingly fast. He had Husk tight in his tail before Husk even registered that he was a target. "She gave me a purpose in my life to become an inventor in the first place. Cared for me and made me feel useful when I couldn't _walk_ and she gave me a beautiful son. You may be bitter from your experience, but your experience isn't the only one." 

"You want Niffty to like you, you love your wife, and you're fucking me." Husk laughed, though it was hard to breathe with how tightly Pentious tail had wound around his chest. "You're crazy, you know that?"

"I have been told." Pentious said darkly, his fangs on display instead of folded up against the roof of his mouth as they usually were when he was in a friendly mood. 

"I _just_ dried off…" Husk sighed, not intimidated in the slightest and irritated that the water on Pentious's scales had seeped into his fur.

Pentious shook his head and laughed, dropping the cat. "Go home, and be bitter then. I will continue to thrive in my supposed insanity."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Husk is pretty sure he's being avoided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back problems suck and wings probably dont help

Husk woke up to his bedroom door opening and he opened an eye to see Niffty coming in to organize and dust everything off.

"You're late for work!" She reported. "Are you okay?"

"I finally found the only way to lay with my back straight without my wings screaming. I ain't moving." Husk said roughly.

"You got back late." She observed. "You keep getting back late." 

"Casinos don't have clocks or windows." Husk dismissed, still refusing to move. 

"Lying's not nice, Husk." Niffty replied, putting her hands on her hips and frowning at him. "If it's none of my business just say _that._ "

"I'm not nice." Husk grunted, but his ears gave him away when they pulled back against his skull. Not just anyone could make him feel like a complete piece of shit just by calling him out on a bad bluff. "Sorry…" 

Niffty sighed. "It's okay. I'll tell Miss Charlie you need the day off." 

Husk thought about letting her, but he didn't know if anyone else would be able to cover for him. A closed bar meant pissy demons making messes. That would mean more work for Niffty. He pushed himself up, grunting when his back clicked in two places, then turned to put his paws on the floor.

"No, I'm up." 

"Good job!" Niffty cheered.

"Don't patronize me." Husk rolled his eyes, and Niffty giggled and stripped the bed now that he was no longer on it.

Husk followed her out, locking his door and tucking his key into his hat as he put it on. She continued upstairs while he made his way down. He checked his stock of the bar, wrote down what was low on his preshift paperwork before putting the form in a folder under the sign-in book. He then checked the book to see if there were any new arrivals or bailers, but there had been no change. 

The rest of the day went on just as boringly aside from one incident where Angel decided it would be fun to ride the laundry cart down the stairs. Niffty was not amused at first, but was delighted when the cart flipped and trapped him under it. She left him there, intending on stranding him, but Alastor came by after a few minutes to release the spider. Angel thought it was funny and it had been his own fault anyway, so Alastor chose not to create any consequences. 

Husk helped Niffty get all of the laundry back into the cart before going back to the bar. No eggs. No letters. At least none to Husk's knowledge since he had overslept. The next few days went by just as quietly, and Husk couldn't help but wonder if Pentious was mad at him. Nothing had been sent to Niffty either though which threw him off. 

A quick walk a few days later after work and Husk saw the airship back up in the sky where it technically belonged. It was as good a sign as any that the snake wasn't taking visitors. There had still been nothing to him or Niffty and Husk wanted to just let it go. He took his eyes off the airship and went home, taking a bottle of vodka from the bar and up to his room. He drank about half of it of it before he opened his window, jumping out and spreading his wings. 

Husk wasn't the best flyer, too lazy to bother most of the time. Still he could manage it enough to get pretty far up in the air. He could fly well enough to get to the airship, latching onto the outside hatch. One of the guns mounted on the side pointed at him for a moment, but didn't fire and eventually went back to its rest position. He kept his eye on the gun for a moment before knocking. 

The hatch unsealed and Husk let go of it to rely on his wings as it opened the rest of the way. He stepped in, an egg greeting him cheerfully as it closed the hatch behind him.

"Hi there Mister Kitty!"

"Where's your boss?" Husk asked, and let the egg take his hand to lead him down a hall away from the greenroom.

The walls were less put together the further they went, gears and wires showed under patched together panelling. More eggs were about, most of them working but several of them talking or just generally meandering around. 

Finally the egg leading Husk stopped at a door.

"Mister Boss Man doesn't want to be bothered but he likes you so this is okay, right?" The egg asked. 

Husk shrugged, opening the door as every egg in sight scurried away. He lifted a brow at that, but didn't really care why they all seemed scared. He stepped into the room and was immediately met with a loud, low, hiss. The lights were off but Husk could see movement of a silhouette around one wall and over the bed, letting him know that he was in Pentious's bedroom. 

"I've told you sssstupid imbecccilesss to leave me alone."

"It's me, jackass." Husk answered. "What, are you blind?"

Pentious moved so that his face was visible in the light of the open door. He moved closer, his tongue flickering out for a moment. His eyes were glassed over, silvery and blank. The ones on his chest and tail where much the same. There were also several thin patches of scales flaking off in large groups.

"At the moment, yessss." Pentious answered, irritated and letting it show in his hiss. "So you _can_ fly."

"Yeah." Husk confirmed, feeling along the wall for a lightswitch. 

He clicked it on, and in brighter light Pentious looked even worse. His skin hung off of him in dull patches, showing brighter scales underneath. 

"Why are you here?" Pentious asked, sounding less annoyed and more tired.

"I had to ask if you're mad at me." Husk said, then shook his head and put his paw over his face. "Fuckin' stupid. Of course you are."

"No." Pentious said. "Why would you think that?"

"I don't fucking know. Haven't heard from you in a while. Last time we talked it turned into an argument about--"

"Oh hush. That was hardly an argument. It was a heated conversation about how to handle an experience." Pentious huffed, "I stopped inviting you here because I didn't want to be seen like _this._ " Pentious gestured to himself and flared his hood, some of the skin on it breaking free at the action. "Hardly dignified…" 

Husk chuckled, more relieved that he probably should have been.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Husk and Pentious have a chat over some unplanned grooming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Throwing a lot of Pentious headcanons in here woo

"I thought snakes shed their skins in one big piece." Husk said as he picked the bigger chunks of scales off of his friend.

"It depends on environment. It is very dry in my room." Pentious explained, swatting Husk's paw away as a patch of skin came away a bit roughly. "Don't _yank,_ you ruffian. Some of it is still attached."

"So… why not just get this over with in the greenroom? It's practically raining in there." Husk reasoned.

"That room is one of beauty and I'm not soiling it with my cast-offs. That would be disgusting." 

"The skin doesn't have to stay there. Where do you normally put it?" 

"I burn it and mix the ash into fertilizer." Pentious explained. "All wasted materials on the ship go into making fertilizer or fuel."

"See _that_ is disgusting." Husk countered.

"It is efficient!" Pentious countered, finding Husks hand with his own and following the fluffy arm up to his shoulder. "I have made a ship that never has to dock! How many demons can say the same, hm?"

"Yeah, sure. Very fucking clever." As charming as the snake's ego was, Husk was trying to make a point and needed to get the other to circle back to the topic at hand. "If your scales wind up in the plant pots anyway wouldn't it be more efficient to just shed in the same room?"

"Oh ssshhut up." Pentious huffed.

The cobra pouted as he let Husk continue to pull free anything that was likely to snag. It took the better part of an hour since not all of the skin was fully unattached. A twenty-four foot long snake with arms took much longer to molt than a simple little limbless garden snake did, after all. Eventually Pentious stopped pouting, relaxing instead. The end of his tail wound loosely around Husk's after a fumble or two since his eyes were still capped over.

"How long are you going to be blind?" Husk asked, not trusting his claws with the other's eyes.

"I expect a few more days. They will fall off on their own… How did you meet Lady Niffty?" Pentious asked quietly, curious.

Husk rolled his eyes. "It was a while ago. While Alastor was in the Seventh Level he cut a few Deals. Niffty was one of them, so when he feels like it he'll pull her out of there until he gets annoyed at her." Husk explained, knowing that his request was why she hadn't been tossed back yet.

"She's from the _Seventh?!"_

"Yeah. You can't tell by looking at her." Husk nodded, mostly to himself since Pentious couldn't see him. 

"Why was she that far down? What did she do?"

"Well considering the Seventh level is for murderers I think that's pretty fucking clear." Husk dismissed, hoping that would be the end of it.

"Hell doesn't care for motive. Surely there was a reason."

"Ain't your business unless _she_ tells you." Husk tried again, but only managed to give Pentious ideas.

"So you know." Pentious observed. "But you don't want to tell me. Gracious it must be awful to keep such a thing to yourself. I'd be happy to share the burden."

"It ain't my story to tell. Stop trying to manipulate me." Husk pulled away and shoved the discarded scales he'd picked off into the corner. "I can tell you what I'm in for."

"You already said Sloth. I doubt the specifics are anything of interest." Pentious scoffed.

Husk's snout crinkled in offense, not that the snake could see his expression. "I killed hundreds of people."

Pentious looked confused, clearly considering how mass murder could tie into Sloth before remembering an offhand comment Husk had made when their odd little arrangement began. He'd already told him quite simply that he had been a soldier.

"Ah. Too lazy to disobey orders, yes?" Pentious snarked.

"Yeah that's the most of it." Husk agreed, then sighed as his expression dropped. "That, and I shot my brother in the face."

"Did he deserve it?" Pentious asked.

"Probably." Husk shrugged. "It was an accident. Thought he was some stranger barging into my house. Had dogs after him so I thought he was some escaped convict and shit, I had a kid to protect."

"You have a child." Pentious mused, thoughtful. "I saw the other cat demon around that hotel. Your daughter?"

"No." Husk chuckled. "Good guess. Genie's my great granddaughter."

"Oh. You're much older than I thought you were. You are very in touch with Now."

"I'm probably still behind on a lot of shit. I just pay attention to the younger demons and try to stay open."

"I've tried to keep up! Technology I've learned and improved easily enough but whenever I try to keep up with social expectations I tend to get it wrong. I'm sure you've seen the picture the news station insists on using. One of my last attempts to appear modern. It's rubbish!"

"Yeah I wouldn't say that was a very up-to-date look." Husk agreed. "Maybe two or three decades ago it would have been better." 

Pentious grunted, clearly no less dejected. Husk decided to change the subject.

"What are you down here for, then?"

"Well I worked in a factory for a time. A desk job since the actual workrooms weren't very hospitable to my chair."

"Chair?" Husk asked.

"I was very sickly as a child and lost the use of my legs." Pentious explained, the coils of his tail twisting over itself somewhat. "Hardly matters now, but at the time it presented obstacles. Anyway, I designed many prototypes of personal vehicles, tools, occasionally weapons since there always seemed to be a war on. Of course, no one wanted to actually build any of _my_ ideas. Kept being rejected on the basis that they seemed unstable. Instead of working on anything of interest they had me putting together silly little things. Clocks, mainly but also thermometers and other mundane things."

"Sounds fucking boring." Husk said dryly.

"Oh it was! And an insult to boot! I was crippled, not incompetent. So since my chair seemed to be the problem, too wide and clunky to fit anywhere, I designed a new chair. Stole supplies to build it at home. Went back to the factory after hours to forge signatures to get my designs approved, and once that got going all was well until I was fired for theft of property and forgery." Pentious continued. "But they kept everything I made, taking all the recognition for themselves."

"I'm guessing that didn't sit well with you." Husk prompted.

"Oh of course not." Pentious laughed, such a striking contrast to how somber he had seemed moments prior. "I set the place on fire."

"That how you died?" Husk asked.

"No." Pentious shook his head. "I wasn't even arrested for it. No one even suspected me. I died of consumption."

"Huh." Husk grunted.

"What?"

"Most of the people I know down here were murdered or killed themself. I guess I forgot that not everyone dies quick and violent." Husk explained.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pentious actually asks Niffty out properly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theres some ptsd mixed with hell-curse in here.

Husk didn't hear from Pentious for a few days after but this time he wasn't concerned. Not that he would ever admit to being concerned in the first place. He knew Pentious was just finishing up with whatever shed Husk hadn't managed to remove, and it was amusing to imagine the snake bumbling around, bumping into things and knocking them over in his week of blindness before the eye caps decided to come off, probably terrorizing the eggs whenever they tried to help. 

When Pentious did finally make his existence known again it was by barging into the front door of the hotel like he owned it, leaving his coat behind for a simple shirt and vest, though his hat stayed. His new scales were bright and practically glistened in the low light of the lobby.

"No gifts this time?" Husk observed, mostly joking.

Niffty, who had been scrubbing one of the higher windows, let out a very quiet but very annoyed groan. Husk heard it, one of his large ears turning toward her automatically. Pentious's hearing was not as good.

"Ah, there you are!" Pentious greeted, looking up and grinning.

"Hi there!" Niffty greeted back politely. "Please, no more flowers."

"No more flowers." Pentious echoed. "I am only here to ask if you would like to join me for tea? Er… coffee, rather? Whichever suits you."

Niffty squinted, staring the snake down. He only smiled back up at her, so she huffed and hopped down. She stomped toward him, but he was still unphased and Husk decided that even as small and cute as she was, not backing down was probably very brave or very stupid. After actually getting to know Pentious, he had to accept that it was bravery. 

"You know what?" Niffty barked sharply. "Fine!"

"Fine?" Pentious repeated, shock written clear in his face.

"Sure! One coffee." Niffty relented. "You can pick me up tomorrow morning."

"Sssure…" Pentious said, and it was unclear if he was agreeing or just still repeating. 

"Great! Now until then please let me work." She pushed past him, rushing up a set of stairs as loudly as her minimal weight would allow her.

"Well I'll be fucking damned again." Husk gruffed after the little ladybug was gone. "She might kill you." 

"That is a risk I am willing to take." 

"I hope it goes well." Husk said, "Now get out of here before Alastor notices."

"I am not afraid of him." Pentious hissed, but left anyway.

Husk sighed, opening his second bottle of whiskey for the day. Everything seemed suddenly louder and he just knew it was going to be one of the bad days. He got through the work day alright by keeping himself just buzzed enough to tolerate the distant gunshots he knew probably weren't real. 

Once he was done for the day he locked the cabinets and went to his room. Alastor passed him on the way, and the very close, very distinctive bang of a hunting rifle went off in his ears. He jerked away sharply, ramming his shoulder into the wall.

"Husker?" Alastor asked, the movement catching his attention.

Husk pressed his paws over his ears and he stayed against the wall. His wings hung limp from his back like he forgot he had them and he rushed away to his room. Alastor followed him, curious and concerned. Once Husk got his room open, a struggle since his hands were shaking, he veered into the bathroom to empty his stomach. The contents were all liquid since he hadn't actually eaten all day.

"You know, you really shouldn't drink so much on the job." Alastor joked. 

"Fuck off, Squeaker." Husk growled.

"No." 

Alastor waited a few seconds to make sure Husk was done before hauling the cat up just to drop him in the tub. He turned the showerhead on, spraying Husk in cold water. Despite the shock Husk didn't even try to get away from it. It was a welcome distraction if anything, even if it was highly unpleasant.

"Not drunk enough to warrant this." Husk huffed tiredly. 

"Nonsense! You fell over and vomited."

"Cuz the fucking gun went off."

Alastor fell quiet, his grin slacking somewhat. He knew Husk had a noise problem following him and he knew there was a difference between just guns and _the_ gun. Just because it had been less prevalent lately didn't mean it had stopped entirely. 

"You know I've already forgiven that." Alastor said softly. 

"Don't matter. It doesn't stop." Husk shut his eyes and curled in on himself, his wings coming up to cover himself.

"I know." Alastor reached over and turned the water off. "I still get hungry. Even with Angel nearby and happy. Did something happen to set it off again?"

"Don't matter." Husk said again. "Nothing fucking matters." 

"Nihilism doesn't have to be depressive, you know." Alastor scolded. "If nothing matters then you can do anything you want. And I will help you! So what do you want to do?"

"I want to fucking sleep." 

"Then do so!" Alastor picked Husk up again, ignoring the protests as he threw the cold and soaked cat demon onto his bed. 

"Now my bed's wet, jackass!"

"It doesn't matter!" Alastor said gleefully. "Sleep well!" 

Husk let out a string of curses as Alastor left by way of shadows, getting up and pulling the coverings off of the bed. He piled them up in his arms to take them down to the laundry room to dry them. He hated the fact he had extra work to do now, but the sheer chaos of the situation had given him something else to focus on. He turned the dryer on and sat down, listening to the whirring machine instead.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Husk isn't sure how to handle this, so he just doesn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna get stupid before it gets smart.

"You look nice." Husk told Niffty when she came down to the bar in a sweater and high waisted jeans rather than her usual cardigan and poodle skirt. 

"Date today." Niffty shrugged, then grinned mischievously. "Do you think seeing a woman in pants will make Sir Pentious faint?"

"You'll knock him twice-dead." Husk chuckled. 

Fuck, he hated this. He knew Niffty was only going through with the date to make a disaster of it and get the snake to leave her alone, not that he'd told her. He knew her. This wasn't even the first time he'd seen some asshole try to get with her, only for Niffty to make the guy regret his entire existence. But Husk also knew Pentious now, and he didn't want either of them upset. 

Even worse was the possibility of everything going well. It was a slim chance but both Niffty and Pentious had a rare manic positive energy that Husk was never able to keep up with, but that could definitely give the snake and the ladybug a common ground. They could be good for each other that way, feeding into each other's liveliness in a loop like a self-sustaining battery. And Husk, tired and coarse as he always was, would be left in the dust.

He could ruin the whole thing right now. Just blurt out to Niffty that he and Pentious had been seeing each other for the past few weeks. That he kept coming back to the hotel late once or twice a week because he'd been seeing how many ways he could twist a snake. That he now knew venomous snake fangs folded out of the way because he'd had the privilege of teaching the cobra to suck his cock. 

He kept his mouth shut, telling himself it wasn't his place to interfere. Really, it was just an excuse. He didn't get to dwell long, since Pentious chose then to slither through the door of the lobby. He had his tophat on and a nicer coat than usual, having switched from pinstripes to a diamond pattern where every other corner was joined with some sort of eye-like symbol. 

"Aw shit, I'm out of grenadine." Husk muttered. "Gonna check the kitchen for more. You have fun." He told Niffty, excusing himself and leaving without acknowledging the snake past a brief and regretful glance.

Pentious took Niffty to a small place nearby called Deja Brew. It was a little out-of-the-way sort of cafe. Pentious knew tea well enough to put together his own blends of it but with coffee he was clueless and thought it best to go somewhere that had people who knew what they were doing with both. They also had simple pastries and ice cream, which was a definite point for the place. It was also one of the very few places to eat in Hell where the employees didn't all look like they were one raw word away from bashing their own skulls in. Probably because it was never very busy.

"Huh," Niffty said as Pentious held the door for her. "I've never been in here." She skipped over to the large chalkboard where the menu had been carved in instead of using chalk like usual. "Ooh! They do cupcakes!"

Pentious followed her, unable to keep the smile off his face as his choice of setting seemed to be met with the ladybug's approval. They both placed orders and sat in a corner booth to wait, and an awkward silence set in. Well, awkward for Pentious. Niffty was content to sit and wait, kicking her legs idly since they didn't quite reach the floor and being still never suited her.

It didn't take long for Pentious to realize this was a test of some sort, though he wasn't sure for what. Should he speak first or continue to wait? What should he even talk _about?_ He hadn't expected to get this far and now he was reeling. He kept quiet, unable to settle on a topic of conversation until their drinks came. A simple chai for him, a vaguely coffee flavored milkshake for her, and a plateful of miniature raspberry cupcakes to share.

"Apologies for the extra work the flowers caused." Pentious decided on, finally. "That I caused." He quickly amended. "With the flowers." 

"Because all women like flowers right?" Niffty asked dryly. "And sappy poetry about nothing?"

" _I_ like flowers." Pentious corrected. "They're a good way to say things that aren't proper to say out loud. Besides that, Hell could do with a spot of color other than just dull reds. As for the poetry… I admit that was a bit much but writing has always helped me think."

Niffty's eye widened somewhat, surprised that her assumed reasoning for the flowers wasn't quite correct before she shook her head and smiled. "Okay, but it's still weird to send entire crates of flowers to someone you hardly know. And then you sent some to Husk too. What was _that_ about?"

Pentious was suddenly glad that flowers were no longer widely understood as they had been when he was alive or he would never have gotten away with his answer. "Oh those were a thank you. I had quite a lot to drink and he offered up his room for the night." It wasn't quite a lie, but still nowhere near the meaning of any sort of orchid. Especially the orange sort.

"Oh." Niffty accepted the answer. 

Pentious took a cupcake, cutting the cake portion of it in half and setting the bottom part of it on top of the icing before eating it. He had done so without thinking, since he always ate cupcakes that way when he ate them at all. It was a less messy way to do it. Niffty's light, airy laughter at it drew his attention to it.

"What?" 

"Oh nothing." Niffty dismissed. "You're just weird is all." 

"I don't want icing on my face." Pentious defended, earning her laughter once more. 

From there the awkward start faded and Niffty was surprised that she was actually enjoying the time. They sat and talked for another hour before Pentious escorted her back to the hotel but didn't follow her into it.

Husk was back at the bar when she got back. He smelled heavily of fruit and absinthe and looked like he was fairly close to passing out.

"Howditgo?" Husk asked, not picking his chin up off the bar.

"Pretty good, actually." Niffty answered, a bit concerned. "He's pretty funny when he's not being all stuffy... Are you okay?"

Hust turned his head to look at her properly, though he couldn't quite focus.

"Juuust peachy." Husk gruffed, then stuttered out a hollow sort of chuckle. "I put peaches in the bottle." 

"Don't hurl on the carpet okay?" She asked.

"Got a bucket." Husk grunted, settling further to rest his cheek on the bar.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Husk deals with jealousy but not in a healthy way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some blood in this one.

Niffty agreed to more dates with Pentious, often relaying the details of each to Husk. He took some comfort in the fact she hadn't been in the airship for as long as that lasted. Mostly they were just simple coffee dates, a nice walk and talk, funny things Pentious had said or done that Niffty thought was cute and it _was_ cute to Husk too. It made him wish he were present at the time, and also made him a bit resentful that he wasn't. Still he would listen because he knew Niffty needed to be listened too. Then after she had gone he would drink himself into a stupor and tell himself that he was fine.

It came to a head when Niffty described a garden that Husk had been in enough to know exactly where it was even if she hadn't actually said anything about the airship at all. He agreed with her that it sounded beautiful, not giving away that he had seen it already. He couldn't lie to her directly since they had played cards together so much that she knew his tells, but he could omit. It made him feel shitty, so he drank twice as much as usual that night and hoped for his heart to stop from alcohol poisoning so he'd have a few hours to not have to think.

Niffty couldn't fly, so her having been on the airship meant Pentious had grounded it. It was still grounded when Husk staggered out of the hotel, overly full of alcohol burning through an otherwise empty stomach and reeking of poorly thought out decisions. He didn't even remember leaving the hotel by the time an egg was letting him through the hatch, greeting him kindly. 

_Well, since he was here…_

"Pentious!" Husk called, the gravel in his voice thicker than usual. 

"No need to shout. I'm here." Pentious answered, having already been alerted to his impromptu guest by the eggs before the hatch had been opened. His hood was fully flared and his arms were crossed in front of him. "Though I'm not sure why _you_ are. You haven't even looked at me since dear Niffty finally gave me a chance."

"Oh its dear Niffty now. Not Lady Niffty or Miss Niffty. Fucking _dear._ " Husk grumbled, internally trying to tell himself to just shut up but clearly not listening. "What, no dear Husk?" _Fuck sake, stop talking._

"Surprised you weren't attacked on the way here, as pissed as you are." Pentious remarked, his fangs showing past the annoyed curl of his lip before he sighed and let his hood fall slack. "Are you alright?" 

"No." Husk blurted before he could stop himself. "An' I'm not pissed."

"Pissed drunk. And yes you are."

"Pissed is mad."

"It can mean both. Our englishes are different." Pentious pointed out, then shook his head. They were getting off track. "You ignored me for two weeks. Why are you here now?" 

"Missed you."

"Sure." Pentious rolled his eyes, and something about how he did so made Husk realise he _was_ mad. 

Something near to mad, at least. A sour feeling cropped up in his chest every time he had to hear Niffty prattle on about whatever fun thing she and Pentious did together that day. He hated himself for feeling such a way so he tried to drink until he didn't feel it anymore but trying to drown it only made it burn worse than it already did. He was jealous and he couldn't even figure out which of the two he was jealous of because it was _both._

"You're hurting me." Pentious said sternly, a low hiss in his chest drawing Husk's attention back to his surroundings.

He had Pentious pinned to the wall, long claws dug into the snake's shoulders. _When had that happened?_ Pentious could have easily removed Husk from his person, being a generally stronger demon, but he hadn't. He didn't even look scared at all, despite the fact he was bleeding.

"You could hurt me back." Husk suggested.

"You're hurting yourssself enough."

"You could stop me." Husk continued. "You _should._ "

"I don't want to." Pentious answered easily, bringing up a hand to brush his fingers through the fur of Husk's cheek. 

Husk removed his claws from Pentious's shoulders, wincing as they came away red. He grabbed Pentious's wrist, pulling his hand away from his face. He didn't deserve tenderness. 

"Envy doessn't look well on you." Pentious said, leaning down to kiss between Husk's folded back ears.

Husk shoved him, digging his claws into the wrist he was holding and crowding him further. Pentious still made no move to stop him. If anything, he was too compliant.

"It'sss alright." Pentious said gently.

 _It's not,_ Husk thought, but his teeth were in the snake's shoulder and Pentious had freed one of his hands just to hold him. He still kept the one wrist trapped against the wall next to Pentious's head, his other paw at the snake's waist. He didn't have enough motor control to keep himself from squeezing, his claws cutting in as an unfortunate but not quite unintended side effect. 

Everything past that was a blur to Husk, but he woke up to a splitting migraine only made worse by the whirring of the airship's engine. He was in an unfamiliar bed with noticeable wires sewn into the blanket, the heat of which was sweltering. The long scaly tail draped over him and coiled around him was more familiar. Pentious was still sleeping, covered in scratches that still hadn't healed which meant they had been much deeper when they'd happened. Husk glanced at his own claws, feeling a bit sick at the reddish stain under them.

"Oh fuck no." Husk groaned, curling his arms over his head.

Pentious stirred, looking over to Husk to bid him good morning but quickly realising something was wrong. He assumed a hangover, with how Husk was holding his head, but was only partially right. 

"I'm so fucking sorry." Husk said, throwing Pentious a mental curveball.

"Whatever for?" Pentious asked, though Husk didn't answer. Upon reviewing his own appearance, and the state Husk had been in when he arrived he realised the probability of Husk's memory having a blank spot in it and that without context there was room for a very foul assumption. " _Oh._ I didn't realise you had been drunk enough to black out… Husk, if I hadn't wanted you I would have bitten you and tossed your body out into the street, not invited you to my bed. I _am_ venomous."

"I hurt you." Husk whined.

"I let you."

"This can't happen again." Husk decided. "This shit we've had going… I shouldn't have come here last night. Goddammit, Niffty's my best friend and she _likes_ you. What the fuck was I thinking?"

"I don't think you were thinking." Pentious sighed and looked away, mostly to hide the welling of his eyes. "You are right though. This must end here."

Neither of them wanted it to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scene in this i thought of while listening to Hatef--k by The Bravery and it probably shows...


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Husk continues to not handle his feelings correctly and the people who care about him are getting sick of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theres an acephobic comment in this and im sorry about that. Also a temporary murder but demons regenerate so eh

Husk was extremely late for work by the time he left the airship, so he decided to just skip it for the day. He didn't even go back to the hotel, instead taking a walk following the sidewalk to wherever. He wasn't even paying attention enough to avoid knocking shoulders with strangers who cussed at him for it. He didn't care enough to be bothered. Everything was bullshit anyway.

He didn't go back to the hotel for a few days and when he did he blatantly avoided Niffty. She was worried, he knew, but that only made the guilt he felt run deeper. She tried to get him to talk to her about it but that was a can of worms he didn't want to open ever. He'd get over it eventually. He just had to remember how to stop giving a shit again.

"You've been insufferably negative." Alastor stated as he let himself into Husk's room. "And shirking your work. Charlie may fire you if you keep this up."

"Don't care." Husk gruffed, rolling over. "Leave me alone."

"What happened?" Alastor asked. "You were doing so well until… Oh, it's because Niffty has a boyfriend now, right?"

"None of your fucking business."

"I'm making it my business." Alastor prodded. "Do you want me to kill him? I have a holy knife."

"Don't fucking touch him." Husk hissed, sitting up and flaring his wings.

Alastor squinted, wholly confused by the outburst. He knew Husk had an affection for Niffty so he didn't understand why he _wouldn't_ want the snake out of the way. Such a strong reaction wasn't like Husk, who usually reacted with apathy to most things Alastor did. Well, aside from the few times he had suggested dropping Niffty back into the Seventh Ring because he was growing bored of her. When Husk cared about anything, he tended to care a lot. Luckily Alastor could make an educated guess as to what may have happened.

"You slept with Niffty's new boyfriend, didn't you?" Alastor asked. Husk didn't answer so Alastor knew he was right. "Well that's nothing to beat yourself up over! You should all talk to each other about it. Open relationships exist! They can be beneficial even! Angel and I--"

"I don't need any fucking advice from a balless freak that lets his husband take a different dick every night just because you can't fuck him yourself." Husk snapped, and was given no warning before Alastor was holding him up in the air by his throat, cutting off his airway. Husk grabbed his arm instinctively, clawing at his hand to try getting him to let go.

"At least _I_ don't think with my genitals and get myself stuck in awkward situations and then take it out on everyone else. Now since what you just said came from a place of stress I forgive you, but I think you need a time out." Alastor said coldly, twisting his hand sharply so that Husk's neck snapped and his body went limp.

Alastor tossed the cat's body on his bead, halfheartedly folding the blanket over him. Alastor sighed, wiping his bloodied arm off on Husk's wing. His sleeve was shredded which was unfortunate, he liked this coat. 

"Niffty, darling!" Alastor called as he left Husk's room. 

"Yes?" She appeared within seconds, as she always did when called. 

"Husk will be out of work again today. He's had an unfortunate accident."

Niffty looked past him into the still open room, noticing the unnaturally still body. "An _accident_." She repeated, looking to Alastor's shredded arm and the telling trail of dripped blood leading from Husk to himself.

"Yes. He accidentally let his mouth run away with him and made me angry. Be a dear and clean up the mess, would you?"

"Of course!" Niffty agreed cheerfully, waiting until Alastor left her to it to add under her breath. "Not like I get a choice…" 

She got the blood up quickly before going back to Husk. His head was at an odd angle but that was the extent of the damage. A bit like a mercy killing, Niffty couldn't help but think as she straightened his neck out. It was a clean break, so she knew he wouldn't stay down for long. Deciding to stay, she closed the door and hopped up to sit on the edge of the bed. 

"Men," Niffty huffed softly, shaking her head. "Think violence fixes everything. Why'd you have to go and get Alastor mad?" She asked, knowing Husk couldn't hear her at the moment. She didn't care though. He had started to avoid her lately and this was the most she'd seen of him. "You've been skittish. Pen's been sad. Alastor's mad now. The only man here that hasn't lost his mind is Angel! Is there some kind of crazy disease going around that doesn't infect girls?" She asked, quickly adding "And Angel? Because biology, I'm not calling him a girl again. He already sat me down and explained that."

Husk twitched after a muffled pop, the sound of his spine fusing back together. He gurgled somewhat, then coughed and turned onto his side as his body remembered why gravity pulling drool into his lungs was a bad thing. 

"Welcome back Mister GrumpyWhiskers." Niffty greeted.

"Fuck." Husk answered hoarsely, having jolted in surprised.

"What did you say to Alastor to get him so mad? He usually lets you get away with everything." Niffty asked.

"Something really shitty…" Husk admitted, another layer of guilt settling in on top of the others.

"What's been going on with you?" Niffty asked, putting a tiny hand on his paw.

Husk pulled away sharply, closing himself off.

"You know what? If you can't talk to me about it that's fine." Niffty said, trying to be understanding even though there was a sharpness to her tone. "But talk to _someone_ because you can't keep trying to hide whatever's been eating you when it keeps _throwing up the pieces everywhere!_ " 

With that Niffty pushed herself off of the bed and left the room, slamming the door behind her.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Husk isn't the only one with ptsd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uploading two chapters in a day because I need to burn through all the angst so we can get to the sweet shit.

Alastor coming to Angel for snuggles with next to no warning and apologizing for not being attentive enough to his needs let the spider know something weird was up. Especially since absolutely nothing was wrong. Angel had plenty of attention, but clearly something had happened for Alastor to doubt that. A short explanation and a long session of mutual grooming later to let Alastor do something tactile but still mundane, and Angel was freshly brushed. Once that was done and Alastor felt better he went to Husk's room and kicked in the door.

"Get the fuck out!" Husk yowled.

"No!" Angel shouted back. "Look you need to quit bein' a sourpuss just because Niffty stole your man. Shit happens." 

"That ain't even what--"

"I don't give a shit what it actually is. What I give a shit about is I just had to remind my husband, _your brother_ by the way you fuckin' ass, that he ain't half a man just cuz he doesn't want to get nasty." Angel stalked forward, grabbing Husk by the ear. "Now fix your motherfuckin' attitude or I'm gonna get Genie in here and we're both gonna fix it for you."

"Leave her out of it. Come on." Husk grumbled, shoving Angel away.

"Leave my fuckin' marriage out of it then." Angel huffed. "And get back to the bar. Vaggie's been takin' your shift and she don't let me get away with anythin'."

Angel left, stepping over the door, and Husk reluctantly picked himself up. 

His fur was matted and his wings were starting to drop feathers from a lack of preening. He shook them, letting the loose feathers fall and leaving them on the floor as he left his room. The noise was worse, he noticed, and wondered how long it had been since the gunshots had ever sounded so close. They weren't real, he reminded himself. Even the louder bang of the rifle that he could feel the kick of against his shoulder wasn't real. It was just Hell's way of reminding Sinners why they were there.

Hell had other ways, Husk theorized, since when he stepped into the lobby to take his spot at the bar, Pentious and Niffty were both there, the snake explaining how some ridiculous and wonderful machine he'd made was supposed to work. He'd actually brought the contraption with him. Something to clean the floor by itself, to help Niffty with all of the various spills she had to deal with like blood and, well, mostly blood.

Husk froze when Pentious looked up. A multitude of emotions appeared on the snake's face starting with surprise and ending at a forlorn sort of acceptance. Whatever thought process he seemed to have had was clearly complicated enough for him to lose track of what he was doing long enough for a shock and a spark from an exposed wire to catch his sleeve on fire.

Sometimes things caught fire. That was just a fact of engineering in Pentious's opinion. No real harm done in it, he thought. Just put the fire out, learn from it, and try again. It was only a little fire anyway, more smoke than actual flames. He patted it out quickly, used to minor shocks and burns. 

"Motherfucker!" Husk grunted as Niffty reacted.

As soon as she smelled the smoke, Niffty fell into a frantic fit. She was crying and hunched over holding herself, screaming. A swarm of wasps manifested around her, an automatic defense mechanism. Pentious retreated instantly, startled and confused at the sudden shift. Husk swatted what insects he could away with his wings but otherwise endured the stings in order to get close to her.

"Niffty, it's okay!" Husk shouted, having to raise his voice to be heard over hundreds of buzzing wings.

"What's happening?" Pentious asked. 

"You fucking happened." Husk snapped at him shortly, pulling Niffty close to his chest and rocking her as she continued to bawl. "Everything's okay. You're safe."

"There's fire…" Niffty sniffled. 

"The fire's already out." Husk assured, and the wasps became less aggressive.

"Where's the baby?"

"He's upstairs. He's okay."

"He's _crying_." Niffty sobbed, though there was no sound of a baby crying anywhere. 

There was no baby, but Husk had his own noise to deal with and he knew how to help. He also knew it was the smell of smoke that had caused it, a reason he had stopped smoking at all even though he had once been just as bad about cigarettes as he was about booze.

"He's just cranky. I promise he's fine. We'll go upstairs and check on him just as soon as you calm down,okay?" Husk soothed, glaring at Pentious over Niffty's head. 

Pentious curled in on himself at the look. He still wasn't sure exactly what was going on but he had a better idea than before. All sinners had a personal torture to go through. Most of them kept it private, but he knew he was seeing Niffty's first hand. He had been curious about it before, but now he regretted it. He regretted apparently causing it. 

Husk carried Niffty up to her own room and Pentious followed. Husk briefly considered telling him to fuck off, but couldn't bring himself to do so. He wasn't even actually angry at Pentious, just angry that Niffty had been set off when he knew he had already bothered her enough with his attitude. He'd been bothering everyone, apparently. Husk decided to unpack all that later, using a claw to pick the lock since he knew better than to start searching Niffty for her key. She sure as hell was in no position to be looking for it. 

In the room was a simple bed with a small crib tucked in the corner. Husk sat Niffty on the bed, leaving her only a moment to pull a cloth doll out of the crib and hand it to her. She cradled it quickly and rocked, more for herself than the doll.

"See? He's fine." Husk reiterated, giving her space now that she had what she needed to soothe herself. To Pentious he added, "You shouldn't be in here."

Pentious, having only barely passed the doorway, nodding his agreement despite slithering the rest of the way in. He didn't miss how Husk feathers ruffled up when he moved closer to the ladybug, lowering himself. Following Husk's example, he fed into the delusion. A grieving parent, at least, he could relate to.

"What iss your ssson'ss name?" He asked, his hiss coming out with his nerves.

"Riley." Niffty answered, sniffling but visibly calming.

Husk relaxed too, seeing that the situation was under control. He moved to leave, but was stopped by Pentious reaching for his arm.

"I gotta get to work. You look like you got this." Husk grumbled.

"I don't know how to help her." Pentious protested.

"Just let her take care of 'the baby' for a bit. She'll snap herself out of it in a little while. Just try to keep her from hurting herself." Husk explained, shrugged the snake's hand off.

"Husssk, pleasse?"

Husk sighed, unable to ignore how his chest tightened at his tone. "...Okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, they're all part of the Sad Parents Club.
> 
> Also y'all notice how in the pilot Alastor pulled Niffty out of the fireplace? ...Yeah.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niffty relives a memory, but the boys are there to bring her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who wants a vague flashback?
> 
> Niffty's backstory I thought of while listening to Cradles by Sub Urban

_She hadn't meant to get pregnant, but then nobody really means for that to happen when they go to a drive-in and pay more attention to the back seat than the movie. The result of it was a shotgun wedding with no real shotguns, just guilt trips and threats of homelessness. She wasn't given much of a choice._

_Her husband was resentful. He hadn't wanted to get married. Neither of them had but he was definitely more active in his hatred of the situation. Niffty was stuck doing housework and preparing for the baby to come by herself, while her husband went out with his friends. Sometimes he'd bring his friends home, talking down to her and encouraging the others to do the same._

_Some of those friends went missing, and when she got too big around the middle to be very agile, some of those friends got gravely ill._

_She couldn't remember why she had ever dated him in the first. Had he always been so horrible? Surely he had been sweet once. He had to have been, but clearly it was an act. He didn't even take her to the doctor to have the baby. She'd had to deliver by herself, running purely on instinct and guesswork while her husband did whatever he did after work._

_Suddenly she had two boys to take care of, her husband and her son, though she didn't fault her son for anything. Riley was a ray of light for her, someone who really and truly needed her as a contrast to the other who seemed to detest everything about her other than the fact she kept the house clean and made dinner on time. Of course, once her priority shifted to the baby that became harder to manage._

_"When I get home I expect dinner to be done."_

_"Riley's sick! He's been fussing all day. I'm not going to just ignore him."_

_"The brat just wants attention."_

_"He's one! He _needs_ attention."_

_Niffty sighed and put Riley in his crib, going to the kitchen. She managed to click the gas on the stove, but she didn't light it. She stepped back, pulling chicken out of the refrigerator. She busied herself with seasoning it, making sure to allow the stove a few minutes before calling her husband._

_"Can you come help with the burner?"_

_"How hard is it to light a damn match?" He huffed, coming into the kitchen to do it himself._

_Niffty put some distance between herself and the stove, but was still too close when it exploded. Her husband was knocked out and badly burned, while Niffty was knocked back a fair distance. She didn't care if her husband was just unconscious or dead, deciding that whichever it was he would definitely be dead soon. No one would question it, blaming the fire instead of her._

_She tried to pick herself up, but cried out and fell over as soon as she tried. Her leg was broken, only feeling the pain of it after she realized it. That was fine. A minor setback. She could crawl, and so she did, dragging herself up the stairs and into the nursery. She used the wall to pull herself up, a bit dizzy. She pulled Riley up out of his crib, then slowly sat down still using the wall for support. With the baby in her arms she couldn't crawl very well and the fire was spreading faster than she had anticipated._

_She barely even managed to get to the stairs, only having one leg and one arm free to work with. So she sat up, halfway down the stairs, and accepted the fact that she wasn't getting out. And neither was her son._

_"I hope you get another chance." She told the baby, rocking him as they both cried._

"He's fine." Husk said softly from beside her, untouched by the flames.

_H **e** **did** n't belo **ng i** n thi **s memo** ry but Niffty had become used to the winged cat making an appearance._

"You have a very charming son!" Pentious praised.

_**He certainly didn't belong in this memory.** _

"Don't overdo it." Husk grunted, lightly swatting the snake with his wing.

"I'm helping! Look, she sees us."

Niffty nodded, realizing she wasn't on the stairs of her house. She was in her room in the Happy Hotel, in Hell, sitting on her bed and holding a cloth doll. Despite knowing it was just a doll, she kept it cradled to her chest. She couldn't let him go just yet. He needed her, though it was a bit embarrassing. Husk had seen her have a meltdown plenty of times since they had known each other for years, but it was a bit much for a new boyfriend to be seeing. Pentious didn't seem scared off by it, at least. 

"I see you. I'm here." Niffty confirmed, shakily wiping her eye.

"Good." Husk breathed. 

Husk probably should have been uncomfortable, obligated by his own skewed sense of decency to stay in the same room as his long-time unreciprocated love and his very confusing former friend with benefits that were dating each other. By any other standard that should have been one of the most awkward situations to be caught in. Especially since it had been brought about by Niffty having a panic attack. Oddly it was the best Husk had felt in over a month, worry aside.

"May I hold him?" Pentious asked, gesturing to the doll. 

Niffty handed the doll over to a disproportionately excited snake, who held it just as carefully as one would an actual baby. Husk snorted and had to admit, just to himself of course, that maybe he was a little in love with that dork too. Just a little. It was confusing, what with his heart already occupied by Niffty. It was strange and unusual and he didn't know how to deal with it but at least he could enjoy their company for the moment.

"She's out of her head now. We don't have to keep pretending." Husk pointed out, but Pentious continued to hold the doll while he glared at him.

"Maybe I want to hold him anyway." Pentious said slowly.

Niffty giggled behind her hand and Husk rolled his eyes.

"I have a son too. Such a bright boy, I'm sure he's in Heaven." Pentious boasted. "His name is Jack."

"Got a daughter." Husk admitted, since they were on the topic. "Marguerite." 

"Oh, that's a beautiful name." Pentious said, while Niffty squinted dubiously.

"Husk if you named your daughter after a margarita I'm gonna smack you."

"I didn't have a drinking problem until way after she was born." Husk defended. "And I'm pretty sure margaritas are named after a lady anyway." 

"At least you can admit you have a problem." Pentious mused and Husk couldn't help but snort when he noticed Pentious idly bouncing the doll in his arms.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie makes a suggestion and Niffty invites Husk out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know where this is going but no idea how it's getting there so have this mess.
> 
> I've made some hazbin OCs already but dont want to overload this with them so the waiter is just a cameo here but his name is Judah and he's fuckin weird.

Husk finally went back to work the day after Niffty's recent meltdown, only for Charlie to confront him. 

"Are you feeling better?" The Princess asked, choosing her words too carefully for it to be just an innocent inquiry with no ulterior motive.

"Your pokerface sucks. Just ask what you actually want to know." Husk said bluntly.

Charlie glanced to the side where an open bottle of whiskey sat. Husk followed her eyes and moved it out of sight. He didn't bother to hide his day drinking, so him moving it was purely out of courtesy.

"Would you maybe consider…" 

"Spit it out."

"I think it would be good for you to check in as a patient." Charlie said carefully.

"You let patients drink." Husk rolled his eyes.

"In moderation! Everything is regulated." Charlie countered.

"By me. I run the bar." Husk pointed out.

"Vaggie's been doing okay at it while you were…" Charlie frowned, not wanting to call it a tantrum or a bender when to her it had sort of looked like both. "Whatever that was."

Husk laughed hollowly, shaking his head. "Angel'd throw a fit if you put Vaggie on the bar full time. I ain't looking to get out of Hell anyway. I know this is where my sorry ass belongs."

"Husk, everyone can be better." Charlie sighed. "Even if they never become Heaven-worthy, they're still worth the effort."

"Can't force me." Husk grunted.

"I know. I'm not trying to. I was just hoping you'd help yourself." Charlie sighed, leaving him to his job.

Husk let out along breath, his wings drooping behind him slightly. Of course the Princess of Hell would resort to guilt trips. _Road to Hell, Good Intentions, yadda yadda_. He put the lid back on the opened bottle, putting it out of his own line of sight. That didn't do much to dissuade him considering he was surrounded by alcohol on three sides, but the idea was there. He managed not to touch it for a few hours, enough to still be relatively sober at the end of his shift when Niffty came to check on him.

"Oh you look so much better!" She cheered.

"Did I look bad before?" Husk wondered.

"...A bit." Niffty said quietly. "You just always look so _tired._ "

"I usually am." Husk admitted.

"I was going to go meet Pen over on 44th and Dante avenue. There's a new place opening up we wanted to check out. If you aren't too tired now, would you like to join us?" 

Husk cocked his head, confused. "I don't want to intrude on a date."

"It's not intruding if I invited you, silly!" Niffty giggled. "Besides, we're all friends right? I mean, you wouldn't have let him stay in my room yesterday while I was freaking out if you didn't already trust him. You two really got along." 

"Right." Husk agreed, a bit stiffly. "Friends." 

Niffty frowned, catching onto something wrong but not sure what. "Are you okay? Really."

"I'm… Better than I have been." Husk shrugged and clicked his claws on the counter before letting himself out. "Oh what the Heaven. Sure, I'll tag along since you offered."

"Yay!" Niffty cheered. "Go brush your fur though?"

Being a third wheel was better than nothing at all, Husk decided. He went to his room and very quickly combed his claws through his fur and shook out his wings. He would have left it at that but after a second thought grabbing his neglected hairbrush decided to actually put some effort into grooming himself. An appalling amount of fur came out even though the only tugs he felt were from tangles. Great, he'd been stress shedding the whole time he was brooding. He frowned as he shucked the shed fur into the garbage can, but was glad to feel a bit lighter for the loss.

Turning his attention to his wings, he flapped a few times to get a feel for which feathers were out of place and straightened those out. There were a few broken ones that needed removal and he yanked those out by the quills with a set of specialized tweezers. They bled a bit, but new feathers couldn't grow in if the old ones were in the way. He checked himself in the mirror, finding himself actually looking sort of nice, then scolded himself for caring so much since just being invited out with friends wasn't supposed to be a reason to worry about appearance in the first place. Husk grunted at himself disdainfully, shaking his head as he made his way back downstairs. 

Niffty was waiting for him, having changed into a button up and a longer, floral skirt. It was nothing formal, which Husk was glad for since it meant he wasn't intruding on anything super special. Still, she was gorgeous in it and Husk had to actively avoid staring.

"Are you sure you two want me around?" Husk asked before thinking because he mouth didn't seem to realize that thought wasn't supposed to leave his head.

"I do." Niffty said sincerely. "And you and Pen get along, don't you?"

Husk shrugged, and Niffty took his paw to lead him out of the hotel. He let her for a while, but took his hand back when they got closer to Dante avenue. He didn't want Pentious getting the wrong idea. He respected their relationship even if it made him feel like he had another bullet in his chest. 

"This is a surprise!" Pentious greeted when he saw Husk, looking far too happy about it.

Pentious had already been waiting, a bit dressed down compared to his usual outfits. He was in a simple long yellow shirt and dark vest, his hat left behind. 

"Yeah, it's uh…" Husk trailed off, idly fidgeting with his ear.

"He's feeling better today so I thought he could use a night out." Niffty explained.

"The more the merrier!" Pentious agreed, holding the door for both of the other demons. 

The inside of the building was probably the biggest case of thematic whiplash Husk had ever seen. It was a small sort of diner with an ice cream bar set to the side next to a jukebox, which was at the time playing some sort of tinny flute music. It was brightly lit which made the bright clashing colors on the walls all the worse to look at. He could smell both american barbecue and some sort of asian fusion, as well as the ice cream he could see, as well as the weirdest whiff of deli meat. It was an instant headache.

Niffty seemed happy though, so Husk could tolerate it for her.

They sat down in a booth, Niffty and Pentious sitting across from each other while Husk sat at Niffty's side. A waiter came by to hand them all menus. He was on rollerskates of all things, odd considering he had no eyes. The waiter skated away, seemingly unhindered by the lack of sight, and Husk was glad to have something to focus on to distract from the sensory overload of the establishment and the awkwardness of the company he was with.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go pretty well until they don't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song mentioned is this: https://youtu.be/1fzZ4l2H5-w
> 
> Also whoops judah is in this too.

Despite the pain in his chest that it had initially caused, Husk was having fun. They all ordered something different since the menu was hard to decipher, reading more like a code than a list of food. The waiter took their orders on a voice recorder and skated away.

"What even is that guy?" Niffty asked. "That's rude, sorry."

"An eel?" Husk guessed, judging by the fins and long tail. "Some sort of dinosaur maybe? A dragon? Can demons be dragons or is it always real animals?"

"Saw a unicorn lady once!" Niffty declared proudly. "I want to know how he's not rolling into anything.

"He's thermolocating." Pentious explained. "He has heat pits like me." He tapped the tiny holes along the top of the sides of his mouth. "With need and practice I could learn to do the same."

"I thought you just had a lot of nostrils." Niffty admitted. "Demons have extra parts all the time."

 _Extra dicks,_ Husk's brain decided to supply against his will. He did his best to push the thought aside. "So did I. I wasn't gonna point it out though." Husk shrugged, looking up as the weird looking demon skated back with an armful of trays.

The three picked off eachother's plates, Niffty teasing Husk for going for the few bits of sushi that wound up on hers. He flicked one of Pentious's fries into her hair in lighthearted retaliation. Pentious reached over to take the fry out, his sleeve pulling back just enough to recognise the scratches he'd left around his wrist. That wasn't right, he thought, they should have healed by the day after. Husk snatched his arm, careful this time.

"You have _scars_?" Husk asked before he could think better of it.

"They are purely discoloration, don't worry!" Pentious was quick to assure. "They will be gone the next time I shed my skin."

"Oh my gosh! You shed your skin?" Niffty asked, instantly steering the conversation into less stressful territory. "Thats so neat! And kinda gross, no offense, but mostly neat! How often does it happen?"

"Er… Once every few months. It is far from pleasant and I spend nearly a week blind while it happens." Pentious explained, clearly embarrassed but relaxing when Niffty was more intrigued than disgusted by it.

They laughed and talked and everything would have been just fine. It _would have been_ , until Husk felt the tip of a scaled tail wrap around his ankle. He kicked the tail away but it had the pavlovian effect of starting Husk purring, which he covered with an awkward cough and quickly stood up.

"I'm gonna see if they got anything good on the jukebox." He excused himself quickly, pointedly ignoring the disappointed crook of Pentious's mouth.

"Ooh! Check if they have anything from Ella Fitzgerald!" Niffty called as he walked away. 

It took him a second to figure out the jukebox. It was one of the new sorts that had a touchscreen so his claws were a hindrance. He had to use the back of his knuckle. Trying to get the damn thing to show him a keyboard was an adventure and a half but finally he managed to figure it out. There was plenty there by the First Lady of Jazz, and he ended up picking out Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered before he gave himself half a chance to think about it. As soon as the first notes of piano started Husk regretted it. Trying to cover for himself, he queued up a few more songs to play after and went to go hide in the restroom like a jackass.

Both Niffty's and Pentious's eyes followed him, the first seeming worried and the other remorseful. Husk tried to keep his own face neutral as he passed the table, but knew he was walking too quickly to be casual. Hopefully Niffty would just think he had to throw up, even though he was actually sober for once.

Pentious knew what he did, though if he was smart he wouldn't say anything. And Husk knew, no matter how other demons might question it when all they ever got to see was the manic side of him, the snake _was_ smart.

The bathroom was not empty, the waiter from before leaning against a wall and blowing smoke from between his needle like teeth. The smell was much too strong to be from a cigarette, but it didn't smell like just marijuana.

"Aren't you _working?_ " Husk gruffed, not actually caring that the odd demon was blazing on the clock but wanting to be alone.

"Aren't you _nosy?_ " The waiter shot back, not budging. He kicked at the skates next to his feet, no longer wearing them. "I'm on break. Fuck out of my biz, dude."

Husk rolled his eyes, an act purely for his own sake since the other had none, and locked himself in a stall.

"He was just fine!" Niffty huffed, slumping in her seat and crossing her arms. It only lasted a moment before she was standing to reach over the table to get a better look at the food that was left. "Do you think something spoiled?"

"Oh dear… I'm afraid I may have offended." Pentious said quietly, looking downward at his hands. "Everything was going so well…"

"Now don't _you_ get sad!" Niffty protested, climbing up over the table, stepping around food, and sitting at his side. She hugged his arm. "You didn't do anything. He just gets cranky. He barely drank today so he's probably just in a mood."

Husk didn't return to the table, and when Pentious tried to pay for the odd meal he found out that Husk had already done so before leaving entirely. He was disappointed but kept it to himself. Niffty, however, was much more open with her emotions.

"I just wanted us all to have fun…" She lamented, holding his hand tightly as he walked her home to the hotel.

Pentious winced, unsure of what he should say. If he should say anything at all. He wondered how Niffty might react if he did what he knew was the right thing and told her what he had done to disturb Husk's positive mood, and why he had done so. He wanted to tell her, rather than stew in guilt. She deserved to know that the affection he held for her was not limited to her alone. It didn't do to talk about such complicated and intimate emotions in public places though, so he settled for the more comfortable use of metaphor.

"I finally found out why my old clock isn't working." He muttered.

Niffty cocked her head. "Oh? Why's that?"

"It's missing a piece."


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every one talks but not all together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, trying to get all these characters together in a happy little triangle but they keep going rogue and writing themselves: Hey, can y'all chill?

Husk's less than restful sleep was interupted by a knock at his door. Without the booze he was a light sleeper so he was startled by the noise, sitting up sharply.

"It's me." Niffty called quietly through the door. "Are you up?"

Husk grunted an affirmative, and pulled himself heavily off the bed to open the door for her. Being the hotel housekeeper she had her own skeleton key, but it was the courtesy of it. 

Niffty had had time to shower and change into polka dotted pajamas, he noticed. The light makeup she had been wearing before was washed off and her hair was still damp, red and yellow hair hanging around her face in loose curls. She was beautiful, Husk refused to mention. She walked in, and he closed the door behind her.

"Why'd you ditch us?" She asked, getting right to the point.

"Felt off."

"You were okay all day." She pointed out. "Something happened."

"I just… felt off." He repeated. "I didn't want to worry you so I left. Didn't think you'd notice."

"Of course I noticed." Niffty said worriedly. "Pen noticed too."

"Yeah, I bet he did." Husk huffed bitterly.

"Husk… What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Stop lying to me. I thought we were friends." Niffty said, her tone shifting from concern to annoyance. "If it's not my business that's fine but this time I think it is my business. Isn't it? You've been okay until I started dating Pen. Is that it?"

"Yeah." Husk admitted, because it was easier than telling her the whole, complicated truth. "Been kinda lonely without my best friend." 

Niffty's eye narrowed as she stared him down, and it was a very odd thing for husk to be so intimidated by someone not quite half his height. Her brow lowered into something on the way to angry.

"That isn't all." She pushed.

"Fucking Hell, Niffty. What do you want me to say?" Husk asked, his voice raising without him meaning for it to.

"I want you to _talk_ to me!"

"Just drop it! It doesn't matter." 

"If it didn't matter you wouldn't be upset!" She countered, her own voice rising to match the cat's volume.

"I'm upset because I don't want you fucking hounding me over nothing!"

"You don't yell about nothing!" 

"I'm not--!" Husk cut himself off, forcing his voice to lower. "I didn't mean to yell… I can't deal with this." He said quietly, sitting back down on his bed and folding his wings around him. 

"You never deal with anything." Niffty accused, but she let her voice lower too. "You aren't alone, Husk. You don't have to keep everything to yourself. Just tell me what's been eating you and we'll fix it."

Husk let out a long breath. He was too tired. His nerves were shot and his heart was raw. He wasn't going to mention what had happened between himself and Pentious; He wasn't about to go ruining Niffty's first relationship that actually seemed to be good for her, but he also couldn't keep lying to her when she was so adamant about getting him to talk. So he settled on telling her what was relevant.

"I love you. I've loved you for _years._ " He told her, turning his face toward the floor and shutting his eyes because he didn't want to see whatever her face would show him. 

"Why didn't you say anything?" She asked after a moment.

"Because I'm a fucking drunk that ruins everything. You deserve better. And I think you found it. That should be good enough." He shrugged.

He heard Niffty's tiny footsteps retreat and his door click open and shut. He didn't look up, not having to to know he was alone now. A shaky breath escaped him and he buried his head in his paws, cursing himself even as he wished her happiness. Best case scenario would be if she chose to forget the conversation entirely. Worst case she'd never speak to him again. Both were fine, he decided. Ultimately it was up to her. It always had been, as far as Husk was concerned. 

There weren't any good men in Hell. Niffty knew this. Most of the ones she met saw her, small and cute as she was, and decided that's all there was to her. Given she was currently living in the Lust Circle, a lot of men wanted to have sex with her, or if they were stupid, have sex at her. A swarm of wasps usually put the pushy ones off. Still there were a few she'd come to think of as better than the others. Mostly because they didn't make unwanted advances at her. Pentious was one of the better ones. She hadn't thought so at first since he'd kept sending flashy gifts, but now that they were actually dating she noticed that she was the one that usually made any moves toward intimacy.

Husk was also one of the better ones. He'd never once made a pass at her, which was why it came as a shock that he had feelings for her. Sure, he'd sometimes said he loved her when he was so drunk he was on the verge of passing out but she'd always took it as a friendly sort of love. But hearing him say it so earnestly while sober… _I lost the ability to love years ago,_ he'd said several times. She should have seen it for the bullshit it was.

"You're quiet." Pentious said from his place near the crib, leaning a hip on it while one of his hands was fidgeting with the cloth doll lying therein. 

They both knew that it was just a doll, but it was still comforting to pretend. Niffty thought it endearing that he was so willing to indulge her odd way of coping. She'd invited him to stay the night in her room, to which he had agreed.

"I talked to Husk. He told me something kind of surprising." Niffty said.

"Oh?" Pentious stiffened somewhat, taking his hand from the crip to fidget with his sleeve. "I was wondering when that would come up… Are you angry?"

"Of course I'm not angry!" Niffty threw up her hands. "Wait, you knew before me?"

"Of course." Pentious said, confused about why he wouldn't know that Husk had been sleeping with him for a while before he'd started dating Niffty. As well as the one poorly thought out time after. Then it clicked and Pentious realized that Niffty had to mean something else. "Er…What are we referring to just so we're clear?"

"Husk told me he's in love with me." Niffty explained, squinting. "What did you think I meant?" 

"Right." Pentious nodded sharply. "He mentioned as much a while ago. We bonded over a shared affection toward you." 

"That's sweet. And sad." Niffty slouched and pulled her knees up to her chest. "Is it bad that if he'd told me sooner I'd probably be his girlfriend instead of yours?"

"I don't think so. In fact, I..." Pentious hesitated, but knew he probably wouldn't get a better opening and this conversation needed to be had before anything got more out of hand. "I have a confession to make."


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things fall apart a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again the characters do as they will  
> And again I ask: can yall fuckin chill?!

It took Pentious a few false starts to explain everything from the beginning. He didn't go into too much detail, of course, but it was more than enough for Niffty to understand what had been going on. She was quiet for a while, processing the new information and looking back to see how it all fit. 

"That was all before we started dating, though. Right?" She asked.

Pentious frowned at that, but Niffty could read his face.

"Oh my gosh..." 

"Please understand, there were a lot of complicated feelings. There still are and--"

"Get out of my room." Niffty interrupted sharply.

"Niffty, please allow me to--" 

"No! Get out of here." Niffty didn't let him continue, pushing him toward the door. "Jeez, I was wondering what was wrong with you. There had to be something! You being a snake should have been enough of a clue!" 

Pentious didn't resist her shoving, leaving her room as instructed and not managing to get any words in edgewise before the door slammed shut on his tail. She opened the door again just enough for him to get the rest of his long body out, then slammed it again with a proper bang.

"Please can we not come to some sort of compromise?" Pentious asked, leaning against the door.

"Go away!" Niffty replied angrily through the door.

He didn't leave immediately, coiling himself next to the door and waiting. For what, he wasn't sure, and he only felt worse when he heard faint crying on the other side. He wanted to offer comfort, but as the offender knew it was best to stay silent. She wanted him away, so trying to speak again would only make it worse. He still stayed until he heard her quiet down, then slithered down the hall. He considered going to Husk's room and seeing if he was awake but thought better of it. If Husk's retreat at a mere touch was any indication, he was unwanted there as well. 

Pentious's decision to avoid Husk went contested, since once he made it down to the lobby he could hear rustling and clinking behind the bar. A red wing was on the countertop, apparently supporting weight of the cat that went mostly unseen on the other side of it.

"Husk." Pentious said quietly, and there was a loud crash.

"Fuck." Husk grunted, standing with a few broken shards of tinted glass held in his paws. "Makin' me break shit… What are you doin' here?" He asked, then shook his head after he had a second to register the most likely answer. "Scratch that. I don't need to know."

"I was with Niffty." Pentious said solemnly. "You're drinking now? It's past three in the morning."

"Being sober was a fucking mistake. I do _not_ need details." Husk reiterated, throwing the broken glass away.

"Not with her in that sense." Pentious waved a hand dismissively, though his usual wide gesticulating was more subdued than usual. "Probably not with her in any sense now."

Husk caught onto the lack of bravado and his ears lowered somewhat. "Shit. What happened?"

"I told her…" Pentious began, then backtracked. "I'm not completely ignorant of culture past my time. Everyone is so _forward_ now! I know being invited to share a bed after a date is usually a prelude to… I was already planning to tell her before our relationship went further but then she told me what _you_ said to her and I knew it couldn't wait any longer…"

"You told her… Oh fucking Hell." Husk sighed, raking a paw over his ear in irritation. "Why'd you go and do that?"

"Because I didn't want to sully her trust." Pentious said sharply, his hood flaring. "And because I was hoping maybe something might just work out well between the three of us? I don't know."

"The three of us? What the fuck does that even mean, huh?" 

"Husk. When I was alive there was no word for bisexual." He said, gesturing to himself, then waved his hand at Husk. "Or pansexual. But there are those words now. Isn't there a word for being fond of two people at once?"

"Yeah. It's called cheating and it's a really shitty thing to do." Husk said bitterly.

"Cheating implies lies. I don't want to lie." Pentious huffed, growing increasingly frustrated. "I adore Niffty but I am likewise mad for you."

"Shut the fuck up. No you're not." Husk denied, because Pentious was describing a similar emotional corner that Husk was also backed into. "I get your dicks hard and you're so far back in your social etiquette to see that it's all that is."

"Don't be crassss. You're more than that, even if you refussse to admit it to yourself." Pentious hissed. "And believe it or not I _can_ differentiate between lusst and love. Much more than the sssex, I have ssssorely missed your company."

"Well either way, since you had to run your mouth Niffty's going to hate both of us so it doesn't fucking matter, now does it?" Husk sighed, piercing a wine cork and twisting it out of a bottle just to chug half.

"You'll drink yoursself to death going that fast."

"If only." Husk grunted. "Never fucking sticks."

Pentious reached over the bar to take the bottle away, and Husk surprised himself by allowing it. Pentious didn't drink any, only putting it out of arm's reach from Husk. The cat could easily take three steps and take it back, or pick from any of the other bottles around him but he didn't. Instead he just slumped against his side of the bar and put his head in his hands. Pentious carded his fingers through the fur between his ears, drawing a deep purr from him even despite his depressive mood.

"Am I really so wrong for wanting to keep two people close to me?" Pentious said quietly.

"You're not." Husk admitted, letting himself be soothed. "But that ain't how shit works. You should go home… Niffty gets creative when she's mad. Get the ship off the ground. You won't want to be anywhere she can reach when she gets started."

Pentious nodded, taking his leave.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Husk's family talks him through the bullshit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're sort of getting back on track? Also i hope yall like Genie

It started simply enough. For the first week Niffty didn't speak to Husk, gave the bar a wide berth when she had to pass it, and stopped going into his room to clean. He'd expected to be shunned but it still stung. He knew he deserved it, and the lack of cleaning didn't really matter much since he was perfectly capable of cleaning up after himself when he felt up to it. The next week started with Husk ending his shift and going upstairs to find his bed full of kitty litter.

"I don't even use a fucking litterbox." Husk said to no one, pulling the sheets up by the corners so the litter wouldn't fall on the floor. 

He took the bedding downstairs and out back to throw the litter away. He then took it to the laundry room. By the time he got back to his room there was more litter left on the bare mattress. Too tired to really be annoyed, he resigned himself to the fact that he would be sleeping on the floor if he slept at all. Needless to say he didn't sleep well and it only got worse when his room started to smell like rotting fish. It took him ages to trace the smell to both inside the vents and in the hollow curtain rods. Even longer to air the smell out.

Everyone else at the hotel was starting to notice Husk's heightened irritability as well as Niffty's less than sunny attitude. So much so that Alastor finally had enough and whisked the cat away to a different bar outside of the hotel.

"I _can_ get rid of her." Alastor offered.

"Leave her alone." Husk muttered quietly.

"I may do it anyway if she continues causing you so much grief you feel the need to say hurtful things." Alastor continued. 

"You broke my neck and Angel broke my door. We're even." Husk grumbled. "Quit threatening Niffty just because you're still pissed at me."

"Oh we are nowhere near even." Alastor warned, audibly clicked through a few stations. "I'm only offering to put her back where she belongs. If I really wanted to threaten her I would see if I could throw her all the way into the Ninth Circle. Wouldn't that be something?"

"Something terrible." Husk sighed. "Why are you bringing this up?"

"Because you care for her enough to tolerate her wrath."

"I fucked her boyfriend. I deserve it." Husk shrugged.

"Agreed." Alastor said, far too cheerfully, then spun in his seat. "Oh there you are Genie!" He called, as if he hadn't just used his magic to displace her from her room into the bar. "So nice to see you out and about!" 

"Warn me?" She said, throwing up her hands. "I could have been busy!"

"Were you?"

"...No." Genie kicked at the floor. "I just don't like being out of the hotel..."

"Not to worry!" Alastor cheered, standing and pulling Genie to take his seat. "Not a single soul will bother you while I am here."

"What the fuck is this?" Husk asked, suspicious.

"A family intervention of sorts." Alastor answered. "Genie, you had a lovely rant about that one band, Fleetwood Mac? I believe your great grandfather could benefit from hearing it as well. He seems to have found himself in a similar situation."

"Of course you two would talk music," Husk grumbled, his wings and tail puffing up angrily from being put on the spot. "There's no situation! Everything's fucking done already." 

"Fleetwood Mac, holy shit." Genie said, perking up somewhat. "Dude, do you listen to them?"

"I usually stick to older stuff but I've heard a few songs." Husk shrugged. "Decent stuff. Bit surprised Alastor would ever give it a chance."

"It's very abrasive noise but lyrically very nice." Alastor admitted. "Like putting Blues inside a hurricane."

"It's basically my favorite band ever." Genie said. "You guys are just fucking old. Anyway the band's best songs came out of writing arguments at each other because they were all fucking each other and mad about it."

"Okay, I see how that applies." Husk relented. "How the fuck does that help?"

"Because they could have stayed together if they'd stopped trying to sneak around each other and learn to share." Genie said it was the easiest thing in the world. "Then they could have made more music and maybe I'd have gotten to see them in a concert before I beefed it." 

"Beefed it?" Alastor asked.

"Died." Genie translated. 

"Oh. Lovely visual for that one. I may use that!" Alastor said sounded far more delighted than he had any right to.

"Freak." Husk huffed at him before turning back to Genie. "You can't just… _share._ People get jealous, then they get pissy."

"Jealous, sure, but they only get pissy if they don't talk to each other about it." Genie countered. "I knew a guy at the studio with two girlfriends and a boyfriend."

"That studio is full of porn actors and hookers. Orgies are bound to happen." Husk grunted.

Alastor chose then to leave the conversation, and perhaps the bar entirely. Neither feline noticed, having their own focused debate without him. He left a shadow behind to guard Genie, true to his word of her being left alone, but it was there to watch and not eavesdrop.

"Actually that's just a foursome. The way Val categorized things for organization, an orgy needs five or more." Genie explained quickly before getting herself back on track. "And it wasn't about the sex for them. It's because they all had needs that weren't being met by just one person, and for one of them she wasn't up to being social all of the time so it helped her to know that the others could take care of each other during the times she just really needed to be left alone. And then I think one of them just really likes being a middle spoon."

"That's… halfway sensible actually."

"Sooo…" Genie prompted. "Now that that's explained can you and Niffty stop fighting?"

"It ain't a fight. She's pissed and it's justified." Husk sighed, setting his chin on the counter.

"Oh I know. Niffty talks to herself sometimes. She was venting while cleaning my room. It's really fucking awkward to hear about your gramps boning anyone so can you be discrete next time for fuck sake?" Genie said, her nose crinkling somewhat.

"Fuck off, kid. I can't use a computer without seeing your ass in a pop up ad. Don't even start." Husk hissed.

"Dude just turn ad-block on."

"I don't know how." Husk admitted. "So I don't bother with computers at all." 

"Okay boomer." Genie teased.

Husk chuckled, raising his head. Some part of his mind brought up his earlier conversation with Pentious, the last time they had spoken to each other since the snake had taken his advice and stayed off the ground, while Husk was too chickenshit to fly up there and visit for fear of making anything even more complicated. The fact that words evolved with time, but often a bit too late for the people who needed them. Husk was pan. Pentious had latched onto bi fairly quickly. Even Alastor was happy to be able to call himself ace now that it had been defined to him.

"The guy with all the boyfriends and girlfriends…" Husk began. "That's an actual thing?"

"Yeah. Not as common as it could be because everyone's afraid of learning, but it happens." Genie waved a paw. 

"Is there a word for that?"

"Yeah. Polyamory. He's polyamorous." She answered with a shrug. "Or just poly if you wanna keep shit short."

"Huh." Husk acknowledged, realizing he owed Pentious an apology. Now if only he could get Niffty to talk to him again… "Alright. I think I might be able to fix this. Or make it worse."

"Please fix it. Niffty's been washing all the laundry on the same setting as linens and my sweaters can't take much more." Genie lamented.

"You could grow your fur out and not worry about clothes."

"Hell no. This lion cut is staying. I'm cute as fuck!" She said, ruffling the thicker fur around her neck and shoulders.

"Stop hanging out with Angel. He's a bad influence." Husk said dryly. 

"No." Genie said, crossing her arms. "It's too fun teaching him memes."

"What in Hell are memes?"


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niffty and Husk have a talk.

Niffty was a master of going unnoticed when she really wanted to, but Husk knew her pattern by now and eventually caught her in the kitchen while she was washing dishes. She had to use a stepstool to reach into the sink, and occasionally she dropped something back into the soapy water since Husk's mere presence angered her to the point of tremors.

"Go away." Niffty said coldly, dropping a soapy plate from one sink to the other for rinsing. She picked up another, dunking it into the first sink to scrub it.

"No." Husk said. "I gotta talk to you." 

Niffty huffed, turning and throwing the plate. Husk guarded his face with a wing, but let the dish hit him. It shattered over the wrist joint in his wing, the shards scraping through feathers. It stung, but Husk had had far worse.

"My _boyfriend_ , Husk!" Niffty barked.

"He wasn't when it started!" Husk defended.

"You still slept with him after!" 

"That wasn't supposed to happen. It was a mistake." Husk groaned. 

"You don't accidentally sit on a dick, Husk." Niffty huffed.

"Why do you assume I was the one taking it?" Husk asked, thrown off by Niffty saying something anywhere near vulgar.

"Because you're a pussy." Angel said as he stepped into the kitchen, walking past them both to help himself to the ice cream sandwiches in the freezer. "Do you guys have to do this in the kitchen? Everyone can hear your shitfest." He left a second after, a glare from both letting him know that his input was unwelcomed.

Husk was silent for a moment, and Niffty went back to washing dishes while Husk picked up the broken glass. After getting up the big pieces he swept, watching the tension of Niffty's shoulders and shaking of her hands until he saw her calm down. Once she had relaxed somewhat, he moved closer to take the cup she was washing from her. She let him, purely because she knew if she didn't put up with his presence now he would continue to bother her later. He was stubborn that way. They both were.

"I'm sorry." Husk muttered about eight cups and a few bowls later.

"Are you." Niffty said, not actually a question.

Husk still answered. " _Yes._ "

Niffty held up a finger. "You had sex with a guy you know was trying to date me." She raised another finger. "You didn't tell me you two were seeing each other when I actually started dating him, which would have been really nice to know." 

"I didn't think you would actually--"

"Shush. I'm not done." Niffty cut him off to continue, raising a third finger. "You knew I started to really like him and then you fucked him anyway. Don't use being drunk as an excuse. You don't do things drunk you haven't at least thought about sober." Fourth finger. "Then, after doing all of that, you say you're in love with me and had been the entire time you were doing all those other things and still didn't tell me those other things." Fifth finger. "And just now you yelled at me and think 'sorry' is gonna fix it?" All fingers extended, she reached for the hanging hose meant to rinse dishes.

Niffty pointed the hose at Husk and sprayed him in the face. He didn't try to flinch away, just coughed and snorted the water from his nose. If anything, hearing her curse was more of a shock to him than suddenly being cold and wet. He shook the water out of his fur. Niffty scoffed. 

"I should have been honest." Husk agreed. "But I didn't know how to handle the situation. It got complicated quick, you know?"

"What's so complicated?" Niffty asked, still guarded but at least willing to listen now that she had gotten some of her own aggression out.

"When it was just you, I could push how I felt to the side. It was always there but I could ignore it. You didn't need another asshole in your life, afterlife now, makin' shit worse. Plus I'd seen you run off every other guy that tried getting with you. I thought if I could be your friend at least I'd be close." Husk explained. "But Pentious started hanging around and I had a few talks with him. Mainly about you at first. Whole thing between me and him started because we were both fucking heartsick over you."

"Yuck."

"Not like that." Husk couldn't help but snicker. "He's actually pretty decent. He's funny. Smart in a weird way. I started liking him too. Couldn't admit it for a while, because what kind of freak actually falls for two people, but here I am doing it anyway."

"That doesn't happen." Niffty said, shaking her head.

"It does." Husk protested. "But thinking it doesn't is why I couldn't say anything. I figured you wouldn't understand and I didn't want to hurt you. Pentious was good for you and I know I fucked that up." 

Niffty sighed heavily and stepped down from the stool. "I'm still mad at you."

"That's okay." Husk said. "You can be mad forever if you want."

"I don't want to be mad at all." Niffty admitted, leaving the kitchen.

Husk nodded, kicking the stepstool aside so he'd have room to finish the dishes himself. He somehow felt worse and better all at once which was new, but he supposed it would have to take it as a positive. Afterwards Niffty still wouldn't clean his room, but she stopped destroying and soiling it. She just left it alone entirely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooh she said the fuck word.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Husk makes a pretty serious decision and takes some steps in the right direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im sorry for not posting yesterday I was having a social life for once.

"Hey kid." Husk greeted quietly as he let himself into Charlie's office. 

"Is something up?" She asked, looking up from where she was writing down a list but had started doodling instead.

"Yeah." Husk replied, and held up the check-in book. "I'm taking your advice."

"Oh that's wonderful!" She cheered, clapping her hands and standing. She walked around her desk and crushed Husk in a hug before he could stop her, then took the book to flip to the page where he'd put down his name. "Your first name is Jim?"

"So?" 

"That's just an odd name for a cat." 

"I wasn't always a cat!" Husk bristled.

"The date's wrong… You have it put down for tomorrow."

"I got shit to do today." Husk dismissed.

"No stashing." Charlie warned. "I'll have to take any alcohol in your room away."

"I'm not trying to stash. I gotta go see somebody. Let him know what's going on so he doesn't get worried." Husk explained, and realized as he said so that between the fiasco with Niffty and keeping his brain quiet with far too much whiskey he hadn't flown up to see Pentious in weeks. "Shit, he's probably already worried."

"Okay. Let him know you can have visitors." Charlie beamed. "I'm really proud of you Jim."

"Just keep it to Husk. There's less than a handful of people in Hell who know my name and I'd like to keep that number small." He grunted, trying to ignore just how touched he was to hear that anyone was proud of him for anything. 

The airship, after all repairs were finished, was usually immaculately clean and tidy. At least what parts of it Husk had seen. Now it was in disarray. Walls were dented. Tools were strewn about. Perhaps most concerning was the lack of eggs and the dried yolk splattered across the floor of the hallway.

Husk found the surviving eggs huddled in a corner in the greenroom, which looked more grey and brown than green. Almost everything was in various stages of wilting except for the mint for some reason, which was taking over the plants nearest it. The air felt dry. The heat lights were off. Even the waterfall wasn't working, the pond was stagnant and had a film of algae growing on top of the water.

"Shiiiit," Husk growled to himself before turning to the eggs. "What happened?" 

**"Mister Boss Man is busy. He doesn't want to be bothered."** They all said in unison.

Husk shivered at that, not liking the way the eggs had synchronized as if controlled by some hivemind. "Well I'm bothering him anyway. Is he in his room?"

 **"Mister Kitty is here."** They said, still together before falling silent. 

Husk waited, significantly off-put by the experience before one egg shook itself and broke off from the rest of the clutch. It led him out of the dying greenroom and down the hall. For a moment Husk thought it was taking him to the bedroom until it veered sharply and nudged a panel of the wall aside. Husk had to squeeze through, his wings catching and dragging painfully on the edges of the panels. 

Husk was in the inner workings of the ship now, he could tell, and had to be more mindful of his tail and wings or risk them being torn off by all the moving gears around him. Bad for someone with a multitude of parts to snag, but probably easy enough for someone with very few limbs. A perfect place for a snake to hide. It was a maze in there, but the egg clearly knew its way around. Husk was glad for that. He was even more glad when the egg moved another panel to let Husk into a doorless room. A workshop, he could tell at a glance.

Pentious was standing, if one could call what he did with his tail standing, at the table with his back to Husk. His hood was flared and his shoulders were tense as he kept his hands busy with a screwdriver and something that looked like half of a bicycle and the torso of some sort of mechanical bird skeleton.

"I didn't think you would come back." Pentious said quietly, his hands halting in their task and balling into fists as his hood lowered only slightly. "You _didn't_ come back. Until now. Why _now_?"

"Because I'm a fucking coward." Husk shrugged. 

Pentious finally let his hood fall and turned to look at Husk. His scales were duller but his eyes were clear. He wasn't starting a shed, then, but still seemed similarly discomforted. He looked tired Husk thought at first until he took a few steps closer and realized that it was more than that. Pentious looked _sickly._

"The mint's doing well." Husk decided to say, since he didn't want the awkward silence between them to drag on.

"Yes…" Pentious said, more of an idle acknowledgement than an agreement. "Mint is hard to kill. I haven't had the energy to maintain the garden." He admitted.

"Then shouldn't you rest?" Husk asked, gesturing to the contraption on the table. 

"Ressst doessn't help! I have to keep building. If I lay down I won't get up for weekssss." Pentious snapped, then caught his tone. "Ssorry."

"No. I get it." Husk sympathized. "That's what Hell does to you, isn't it? Mine is noise. Everything's always too loud and there's gunshots all the time."

"Mine is complicated… I get sick again but it isn't all physical. It's… I'm here for Pride and Greed, Husk. Nothing is ever enough for me and hasn't been since I got here but… That one moment of peace with both you and Niffty in that odd diner I finally felt like maybe _I_ was enough. Just for that little while." Pentious admitted. "But that fell through and I'm wasting again. Hell is poetic, isn't it? You live again but you're dying forever." 

"I thought you liked poetry." 

"When it's happening to someone else." Pentious said quietly. "How is Niffty?"

"She's calming down."

"Good." 

"I'm going to sober up." Husk said. "So I'll be stuck in the hotel for a while. If you want to visit I'd like that. I'd like to see you without hiding shit."

Pentious's brows rose, surprised. "You would still have me?"

"Ideally I'd have you _and_ Niffty but that's up to you and her. We all need to talk. Together." Husk explained. "Got your word, though. Polyamorous."

Pentious nodded, then quickly shook his head. "Oh that's rubbish, mixing latin and greek roots in the same word." 

"Yeah, english is stupid." Husk agreed.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Best way to do things is honest and open.

The first day Husk spent sober honestly wasn't too bad. He had very strong cravings of course and the noise was a bit too much to deal with with a totally clear head but he could manage it. He'd just stay in his room. Read all the books he'd bought but hadn't gotten around to yet because he'd been busy. Listen to music. Turn the music up louder to try to drown out the gunshots. Turn it up even louder even though it hadn't worked the first time.

"Who the fuck is blasting _Patsy Cline_?!" Came an annoyed voice from somewhere a floor below.

Husk almost turned it down, then figured if he was going to deal with his own personal racket then everyone else could stand to put up with a damn excellent singer. He turned his radio as loud as it could go and resigned himself to laying on the floor. He sniffed to himself, trying to ignore the kick in his shoulder and the loud phantom bang in his ears when someone knocked on his door in a very aggressive manner. He ignored the knock too, as well as Charlie's muffled voice asking him to turn it down. 

But then it was Niffty asking, and he quickly moved to cut the music off entirely.

"...Thank you." Niffty said through the door. Even though she knew she could, she didn't come in.

"Yeah." Husk said. "Sure." 

His ears twitched as he heard her quick steps walking away, then groaned and laid back down with his head in his paws. He got the feeling he should have said something else, like he'd missed some sort of chance that he didn't even know what to do with.

The next day was worse. The noise was louder, completely impossible to ignore and he didn't have much in his room to redirect his attention to. Whiskey would have made it quieter, just a little. Vaggie wouldn't let him touch it but Husk was no stranger to theft and extra limbs meant it was easy to get someone to watch his hands and forget his tail. He'd halfway talked himself into going downstairs to try before someone down the hall slammed a door and suddenly Husk was huddled against the wall, hidden in his wings and shaking.

All around him were red feathers he didn't remember yanking out but he must have done so. He hated the color of his feathers, the red all around him like a pool of blood. The sting in his wings was real, he reminded himself. He hadn't had wings while he was gunning down strangers barely done growing. He hadn't had feathers to pull out when he'd shot his brother in the face. Mindful of this, he flapped unevenly a few times, not to fly but to let the weight of the extra limbs on his back pull him back to his proper place and time in Hell. 

The third day was when Pentious decided to make good on his invitation to visitation, though he didn't look much better than Husk felt. A few scales had visibly chipped off and there were bags under his eyes. 

"You look like shit." Husk gruffed before he could stop himself. "Sorry. I'm… Detox is a bitch and I've been pissy… Good to see you."

"You look likewise undergroomed." Pentious huffed tiredly, but smiled despite the insult. "I would have come by sooner but I took your advice to rest and I ended up unable to drag myself out of bed…"

"Well get in mine." Husk decided, waving a wing toward his unmade bed. It wasn't messy, necessarily, but left to his own devices as he had been lately he had a tendency to nest.

"Is that wise?"

"To _sleep._ " Husk clarified. "I'll keep you warm. I probably have a fucking fever anyway."

Husk flopped sideways onto his bed, watching Pentious take off his hat and coat to join him. Cold coils wrapped around fur and feathers and it was the first time in a long time that Husk actually relaxed. It was almost uncomfortable to _not_ be riddled with tension. 

"It is difficult to tell but I believe you are correct about the fever." Pentious mused. 

"Good thing you're fucking freezing." Husk chuckled, throwing a wing over the snake and tucking his face under Pentious's chin.

Exhausted as they both were, neither man remembered falling asleep but both woke with a jolt when the door suddenly opened. 

"Housekeeping!" Niffty said, her voice somewhat strained before she kicked the door shut and her tone morphed into something bitter. "So. Once I'm gone then it's right back to Husk, huh?" 

" _You_ ended the courtssship!" Pentious defended.

"Oh fuck this." Husk groaned, sitting up. "No. We are not arguing about this. We're going to have a calm fucking conversation like goddamn adults." 

"I have work to do." Niffty huffed.

"Yeah well it can wait." Husk pushed Pentious's tail off of his lap so he could scoot to sit at the edge of the bed. "Hi. I'm Husk."

"Ugh…" Niffty groaned. "Hi Husk." She said, deciding to play nice for now.

"Hello Husk." Pentious said, confused but playing along.

"I'm an alcoholic and I've been in love with my best friend for a few years." Husk began, not missing how Niffty put her hands on her hips and glared. "There's also a guy I've been really into more recently. They started dating and I spent that whole time, short as it was, wanting to tuck _both_ of them under my wings but since I was too much of a chicken shit son of a bitch I took what I could get and made shit complicated. I'm sorry for crossing a line and I'm sorry for trying to hide it after the fact but I ain't sorry for taking some comfort in the one out of those two that ain't pissed off at me." Husk finished simply, then nudged Pentious with his elbow. "Your turn." 

"Oh. Well. Putting me on the ssspot, then." Pentious stammered, caught between trying to get his thoughts in order quickly and pulling his hiss under control. "I am… That iss… When I lived it was frowned upon to show any sort of open intimacy. I was particularly sheltered. Didn't even know I was bisexual until recently since the only orientations were either desiring men _or_ women so since I knew I liked women already I didn't realizing considering men the same sort of way was anything out of societal acceptance and I did marry a woman anyway." Pentious rambled, glancing to Husk before putting himself back on track. "Recently that 'or' became an 'and'. It had always been an 'and'. I fail to see why there should be an 'or' here, between you Niffty _and_ Husk. Husk, at least, seems to agree with me?"

"Yeah." Husk nodded.

Niffty, at least, did listen before shaking her head and covering her mouth with a hand as she looked away past some blank point on the wall. "This is too much…" 

"You can tell us both to fuck off if you want." Husk assured, not liking the probability of it but accepting the fact that it was likely. 

"We hurt you." Pentious stated. "It is inexcusable that I--We both broke your trust in us. I want to be honest going forward if there is anywhere forward for us to go." 

"I kind of get it." Niffty admitted. "I mean… I don't get the lying to me and the fact that apparently you and Husk sleep with each other like you're shaking hands but Pen, you barely even tried to touch me."

Husk made a noise somewhere between a cough and a snort while Pentious seemed to shrink back on himself.

"I didn't want to be so intimate with you until you knew everything." Pentious explained, then blushed as he added an afterthought. "And you are so very _small_ …"

"You got a tongue." Husk pointed out, causing Pentious to blush. 

Niffty rolled her eye, but she was hiding the urge to crack an amused smile. "What if I just want to date one of you?" 

Husk shrugged, not sure how to answer. Pentious, however, already knew a solution.

"That is up to you. However I would still like to see Husk in a romantic sense so if you must choose I hope you would allow that?" Pentious asked. 

"Well at least that's an honest answer." Niffty said quietly. "I need to think." She let herself out.

"Not as bad as it could have gone." Husk flopped over again, fully intending to go back to sleep.

"I think it went rather well!" Pentious said cheerfully, pulling Husk further onto the bed since his legs were half dangling off.

The noise had leveled out, and Pentious didn't look so sick anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look they finally fuckin chilled.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niffty has some time to think and makes a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're getting there.

Niffty didn't bother with it often anymore, but occasionally she would sew to help herself think. It was quick, maybe a little manic, and she'd prick her fingers more than once. She had no real talent in sewing past simple patch jobs, but she still had a few skeins of embroidery floss to wind through the edge of her skirt in a swirly but ultimately shapeless pattern. 

Looking back she could easily see how she hadn't been directly lied to, but she had still been mislead and it hurt. She knew it was a complicated situation, and after it had been explained she wasn't even angry anymore. She was just tired and confused and a little raw, but she understood. She liked Pentious, so why wouldn't Husk like him too? She'd had a small crush on Husk before but since he'd never let on he had a similar attraction she had let it go, so why wouldn't Pentious, brash as he was, not want Husk in some way as well? They evened each other out just fine it seemed, so why would they want her too?

"Oh no," She murmured when her brain finally registered a sharp pain in her thigh. She'd jammed her sewing needle into her leg without realizing. She pulled it out with a small grunt.

Pentious, at least, had told her everything outright of his own volition before things got too serious. She did wish he had said something sooner, but there was no undoing what was already done. She'd had to drag the truth out of Husk but Pentious had only hesitated out of fear. She could understand that. She could work with that. And maybe, just _maybe_ she could forgive Husk too. So long as they both didn't hide things from her, she could try to understand and they could all patch things up. She found herself hoping that things would work out. 

"Husker, my foul-mouthed friend! I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" Alastor said, having bypassed the door.

"Only my fucking peace and goddamn quiet." Husk was getting really sick of people barging into his room. He sat up, snake coils loosening to let him move freely.

" _Quiet._ " Alastor repeated knowingly, glaring at the snake. "All sorted then?"

"Not quite but it ain't your business." Husk growled, then sighed. "Why are you here?"

"Because you haven't eaten in days!" Alastor reported, poking Husk in his worryingly concave stomach. 

"You haven't?" Pentious spoke up, audibly concerned.

"You aren't in this conversation." Alastor snarked, raising a hand which Husk quickly pulled back down.

"Leave him the fuck alone." Husk hissed. "What is it with you and threatening people I actually give a shit about?"

"The people you like are annoying." Alastor dismissed.

"Angel's annoying. I still put up with his bullshit for you." Husk countered, earning a very sharp glare from the deer.

"Ssshould I go?" Pentious asked.

"Yes." Alastor answered tersely at the same time Husk replied, "No."

Alastor's glare only deepened before he shrugged and turned away. "I just thought I'd let you know Niffty cooked today and specifically requested that you come down. After all, you must be starved! Do make good on that invitation, hm?" He suggested, not without an air of bravado, and then he was gone again.

"Niffty fucking hates cooking…" Husk grumbled, squinting at the floor. "Bet it's poisoned." He mused, pushing himself off the bed. "Or full of scorpions. I better go see which one."

"You would still eat it, knowing that?" 

"If it makes her feel better, yeah." Husk nodded, grabbing his hat and tossing Pentious its own. "Not like I won't just get up again a few hours after. Shit, she'd be doing me a favor putting me down."

"Don't say things like that…" Pentious said as he put on his hat and pulled on his coat. 

"Relax. I ain't serious." Husk shook his head. He was serious but knew his existential depressive spirals were easier swallowed if he passed the comments he made about it as jokes. "Come on. She knows you're here already and if she sent Al up it's probably an invitation to both of us."

They went down the stairs, Husk a bit wobbly due to malnutrition. Pentious kept him steady without needing to be asked, simultaneously sparing his dignity and tearing it apart. Husk held to his arm anyway, since Pride wasn't one of his strong suits. Passing the bar on the way to the kitchen caused an unexpected wave of nausea. Between an empty stomach and the scent of alcohol, Husk's knees nearly buckled. He nearly asked Vaggie to let him drink anything, even some diluted sort of bitch beer, but Pentious didn't give him the chance to stop there.

Niffty was in the kitchen waiting, a pot of potato soup on the stove. There wasn't a scorpion in sight and it smelled normal enough.

"I thought you could do with something light." Niffty said, looking between Husk and Pentious and where they had latched onto each other's arms. Her eye narrowed, forced smile falling somewhat, before she perked up again. "Go ahead and sit down. Pen, could you reach the bowls up there?" She asked, pointing a spoon up at a cabinet she would otherwise have to climb up to.

Pentious smiled at the shortened nickname, letting Husk go to seat himself so he could stretch up to do as told. It was a good sign, he knew, that she would call him that again. 

Niffty briefly entertained the thought of stabbing and gouging one of the many eyes on Pentious's body with her spoon. She thought of shoving his head into the soup pot, or shoving his face down on the burner. Then she thought of how wild his laughter sounded and how sweet he could be and couldn't do any of those things. She even startled herself with the thoughts, putting the spoon down to take the bowls that were handed to her. She set them on the counter, ladling soup into three and letting Pentious help take them to the table to Husk. 

The three sat and ate, perhaps a bit awkwardly silent at first before Niffty cleared her throat. "I still want to date you, Pen." 

"Really?" Pentious asked, not wanting to get his hopes up too fast.

Husk also looked up, one feathered brow lifting as an ear on the opposite side turned backward.

"Yeah." Niffty said. "And if you want to date Husk, or whatever you call what you two even do that can be okay too. I want my boyfriend back, and my best friend. Just don't hide it. Don't make me feel stupid again. I'm not stupid." 

Husk nodded. It wasn't his ideal outcome but it was better than nothing as long as she and Pentious were both happy. And by the looks of it, Pentious was ecstatic. That was more than worth half of a heartbreak.

"Maybe if that actually works like you two seem to think it can I'll even date Husk too." Niffty mused. "If he can learn to get his head out of his ass."

Husk could concede that that was a fair thing to say, and the fact he apparently still had a shot was enough to override the surprise that always came on the rare occasion that Niffty actually cursed. 

Pentious was less prepared for the language, but he bit his tongue before he could comment on how unladylike that sort of foul language was. Propriety be damned. He knew better now than to put his metaphorical foot in his mouth when he'd just been offered another chance.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Husk and Niffty talk about their shared boyfriend over cards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about not posting for a few days. Been having a bad drop mixed with creative burnout. Chapters may be slower to post for a bit.

Niffty was back to her cheerful and perky self in a few days. She still had a wall up around Husk but their friendship _was_ healing and she was friendly toward him again. She couldn't help it. She missed him. That didn't mean she trusted him as much as she had before but that would take time and Husk understood that. He respected that.

Didn't mean it didn't hurt like a bitch, and his mood swings from his very abrupt sobriety didn't help. The walls of his room wound up clawed all to Heaven and back, he'd busted the newly mended hinge on his door, and there was a concerning shattered tile in the shower. He didn't remember breaking the tile so he made the educated guess that he'd probably banged his head on it during a particularly vivid flashback he'd had the other night, when some bastard imps had decided to have a gunfight on the street outside his window. 

Sometimes you just had to knock yourself out to get a sliver of peace. It wasn't like a busted skull would stay busted in Hell, though the tile clearly didn't share the same regenerative nature. 

It was getting easier, Husk told himself. He didn't need to drink if he had enough distractions, he told himself. Eventually lying to yourself would make the bullshit true, he told himself. It wasn't true yet but it did help that both Pentious and Niffty were helping to keep him honest. Pentious brought him all sorts of tea to displace his urge to drink into drinking something other than alcohol. Niffty was vigilant in making sure when Husk caved and tried stealing, she would steal it back before he could sneak any sips. 

As far as distractions, sharing a partner was pretty up there on the mundane weirdness scale. Husk had never considered having a steady partner since his wife had left him decades ago, and when he finally did have the courage and stupidity to fall for anyone else he thought it would just be Niffty, not that he'd be sharing a boyfriend with her instead of dating her. He wasn't opposed to it, or he'd never have started it, but it was always a surprise when Niffty came to his room to ask him things about Pentious.

"Is he always so shy?" Was the question-turned-conversation of the day.

They were both sitting on Husk's bed, cards laid out between them. They were playing spit, a game more about speed than strategy. Niffty was winning so far, having already lost enough cards to no longer even have five piles on her side. Instead she had only three, but was stuck since the cards she had facing up weren't any that she could play until Husk set something else down. 

"What do you mean?" Husk asked, not quite understanding. Pentious was pretty bold most of the time, confident even when he probably shouldn't be, and definitely could be scary if he put his mind to it. "I'm pretty sure he'd punch an angel in the face given half a chance."

"I mean about sex. I pulled my skirt up and only got it halfway up my leg and he just about fainted." Niffty giggled.

"Oh." Husk nodded, his tail twitching behind him where he sat. He pointedly did _not_ think about Niffty's skirt being higher than her knee. Not with her in the room, at least. He could revisit that mental image later in solitude like a damned gentleman. "He just ain't used to it."

"Husk you've slept with him and he has a son. I know he's not a virgin. Is he all nervous with you?" Niffty crossed her arms.

Husk had to wonder if sharing information of sex lives between two people who weren't dating each other but still seeing the same guy was crossing a line. Was there even a line? He hadn't taken the time to learn etiquette for poly relationships since he tended to avoid the internet and he didn't want to bother his granddaughter too much with his personal shit. If there even was an etiquette. Was it a case-by-case thing? Was it worth caring about since Niffty clearly didn't?

"He was." Husk admitted, shrugging and adjusting his wings. "You gotta be the one to take the lead and then he'll get over his hangups pretty quick. He also mentioned your size a little while ago… Why aren't you asking him?"

"Just because I'm tiny doesn't mean anything! I can handle a dicking. Frankly it's overdue." Niffty protested. "And if I ask him his brain might explode."

"Dickings." Husk corrected.

"Well ideally yeah, it would happen more than once." Niffty agreed.

"No. Plural dicks. He has two."

Niffty was silent for a while, her fingers tapping frantically on her knee to relieve a need for movement as she thought. Husk watched the wheels in her head turn, her eye darting between imagined points in the air.

"What." She finally said.

"Apparently it's a snake thing." 

She was quiet again for a moment, her face scrunched before she pointed to Husk's cards. "Will you play something already? You have a queen _and_ an ace right there!"

"And you have a jack and a two." Husk gestured to her cards. "I play anything and it'd be letting you win."

"You can't win by waiting, Husk. You're just losing slower." Niffty pouted. 

"Oh stop with the puppy eye. That should be counted as cheating." He huffed, tossing his queen over.

Niffty quickly played her jack and then put a ten down before Husk could even try to keep up. "Like you never cheat at cards." She scolded playfully.

Husk only got two more cards in before Niffty ran out, but the two decks between them were still about even so he didn't feel too bad when Niffty's hand got to the shorter one first; only shorter by a few cards anyway. They set up for another round and Niffty kicked his ass on that one too. Husk could wipe the floor with anyone at all types of poker, but speed games would always belong to the ladybug.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Husk hits a milestone he was unaware of and there is gardening.

It took quite a while for Husk to leave his room for anything other than a quick walk to the kitchen and back to eat. When he finally did it was for a lazy walk around the courtyard. He could fly over the fence, he realized. In setting up clear sight of the sky Charlie had accidentally given free outs to anyone with wings and the know-how to use them. He almost did fly out, just to show her that glaring oversight and also maybe to find the nearest bar. 

He didn't. Instead he kicked around Charlie's sad excuse for a garden for a while. He wondered if Pentious's greenroom would do so well outdoors. Then, he wondered if it was still decrepit as it had been the last time he'd seen it. He hoped Pentious had managed to save it before everything but the mint died, letting the mint take over all the rest. He probably had, since being in better spirits meant Pentious would have had the energy to right the upset. 

"Should plant mint." Husk rumbled quietly, his ear turning toward approaching steps. Light but long strides, polite and tall. Definitely the princess.

"Why mint?" Charlie asked, her voice confirming Husk's assumption.

"Hard to kill." Husk shrugged as he turned to face her. His eyes flicked down to her hands, a small box held between them. "What'cha got there, kid?" 

She handed it to him, a grin on her face. Dubious, he opened the box and a red circle fell into his paw. It was bigger than a coin, though not quite a poker chip. It had a weight to it that seemed disproportionate to its size. He squinted at it, confused, before looking up at Charlie in confusion.

"What the fuck is this?" 

"Vaggie's idea. It's a sobriety chip!" Charlie explained, far too happy for how early in the morning it was. "You've spent a whole month sober!"

"Fuck…" Husk grunted. He rolled the chip over in his paws. It was a little thing, completely unworthy of attention. If anything it was something he usually would dismiss as useless clutter and toss it in the garbage for being a waste of space. Given context, though, he found himself oddly proud of having earned it. "Thanks." 

"You're welcome." Charlie beamed, hands on her hip as she turned to face the garden. "You really think mint should go here? I wanted to get flowers started."

"It'll cover up the smell of pig shit." Husk gruffed, putting the chip up in his hatband next to the gilded button. 

Charlie snorted, shaking her head.

The next day Husk was out in the courtyard again, this time with Pentious. 

"She calls _this_ a garden? It's barely more than twigs!" Pentious squawked, seeming downright offended. 

Pentious visited nearly every other day, sometimes just to greet him as he fetched Niffty to take her out, sometimes for Husk himself. The attention was nice, even when it wasn't extended. It was nice that even though Pentious and Niffty spent time without him and away from him that Pentious took those extra few seconds to let Husk know that he was happy to see him. It kept Husk from feeling the jealousy he had expected to feel even if he knew he was missing out sometimes. 

Today was Husk's turn, though, and he wanted to see just how Pentious would react to the patch of brambles Charlie had managed to coax out of the ground.

"The soil's too dry, for one. They need something to simulate the sun, but I understand that's a tall order if you do not know how."

"Yeah your special lights need a ceiling don't they?" Husk said, waving a wing at the open sky.

"The bulbs could go anywhere." Pentious corrected. "If we put up lampposts…"

"We?"

"Of course we! You showed me this because you know I can solve it, didn't you? I don't expect you think I would bother doing so without help." Pentious asked, diving headfirst into a plan without waiting for an answer. "The eggs are good for labor of course but you're strong enough. You'll do. Yes, we'll put a post at every corner, two at the center. If we reroute the plumbing of the hotel we could make an irrigation system but that may be a mite too compli--" 

"Slow down! Shit." Husk interupted, grabbing onto Pentious's flared hood to push it down. "Gotta talk to Charlie. She owns the place." 

"I'm sure she wouldn't turn down a gift, but alright." Pentious relented. "I will tell the Princess that it will be an activity to keep your otherwise idle hands from sin. That will be all the persuasion needed, I'm sure."

Husk laughed. "Just tell her you want to help with the fucking garden. You don't have to make it about me."

"I will make it about you if I please." Pentious said with a grin, leaning to kiss Husk's cheek. 

Another week found Husk digging narrow but deep holes for posts to be erected into, and it was strange but nice for him to be using his claws for something productive instead of harmful. Pentious put the posts up, lantern-styled lights at the top which were empty for now. They would screw in the bulbs later, not wanting to risk breaking them if a post fell before it was secure. 

Niffty came out after Husk had finished the last hole to bring him a fine comb and a damp rag to clean out the dirt that had reached his elbows and, somehow, his face.

"You're all dirty." She scolded, but her tone lacked any real bite.

"Of course he is! He's been in the dirt." Pentious called from where he was about a meter and a half away, checking the circuitry inside one post to make sure nothing had been knocked loose. 

Niffty giggled and brought them both glasses of a cold brown liquid. Husk gulped down half of it in one go, recognising it as sweet tea, and grinned as he made sure not to miss Pentious's reaction to it while he combed clumps of dirt from his wrists.

"Ah." Pentious said dryly after his first sip. "A bastardization." He put the glass down next to where he worked.

"Okay, water for you then." Niffty went to take it, not offended in the slightest. It wasn't as if she had made the tea anyway. It had come from the store in a plastic jug, premade already. She didn't get to, because Pentious picked it back up.

"No, it's _mine._ " Pentious held the cup closer, his hood rising halfway defensively. 

Husk couldn't contain the yowling cackle that fell out of him at that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Storebought american south style sweet tea in a jug is fucking awful to think about until you drink it(says the guy who lives in the american south)


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Husk reflects on how Hell works and recieves a welcome distraction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda lost steam on this for a bit. Health took a bad turn and work didnt help but I'm trying to keep something creative going... Sorry this took so long.

A woman's shrill scream woke Husk sometime just shy of dawn. He bolted upright, fully alert. His ears swivelled, searching, but the sound was gone already. He grunted to himself, trying to let the feeling of panic pass, but it just faded into worry. He cursed and left his room to go searching. He wasn't entirely sure, since the noise had only lasted a second, but he followed a hunch to the courtyard. 

The scream, as it turned out, was the positive sort. It had been Charlie, who was excitedly spinning Vaggie around. Vaggie was even laughing with her, a bit less graceful on her feet than the Princess but keeping up just fine.

"What's with the prancing, girls?" Husk asked.

"Husk!" Charlie squealed, twirling away from Vaggie who was glad for the repreve. "Look! There's actual leaves!" She grabbed onto Husk, clearly trying to spin him too. 

He didn't budge. "Yeah, I don't dance." He shrugged her off and left her space to kneel next to what had only been thorns and brambles the day before. Sure enough, tiny shoots of green were sprouting. "Well I'll be damned again. Look at that."

He nearly reached out to touch one, but thought better of it and kept his claws to himself. He had no idea how fragile the new growths would be and since dying his hands weren't built for gentleness. It was one of the things he hated most about his form, and not for the first time he was struck by how unfair Hell was. He understood why people like Alastor were here, those who took joy out of hurting others. Even those like Niffty and Pentious who had done something horrible out of a skewed sense of personal justice because revenge was still doing harm on purpose. But punishing accidents and order-following with a form made for violence… What was the point of that? 

Given a garden, though, he had found out his paws were practically perfect for digging and tilling. Maybe the real punishment, other than the auditory hallucinations of course, was how a Sinner saw themself. Angel certainly seemed to have no problem with _his_ form. Alastor could shapeshift to an extent. Pentious didn't seem to completely hate being a snake and Niffty, while small, seemed alright with her form too. Hoping his paws could be good for something else, he started cutting away the dried, brown shrubbery. 

"Don't cut them up!" Charlie protested.

"Relax. He's just pruning." Vaggie assured. "Come on. I have a shift and you have morning counselling to start." 

"Right." Charlie nodded. "Hey Husk?" She called on her way indoors.

"Hm?" He hummed, not looking up from his self-appointed task.

"Thank you for getting your… uh, for getting Sir Pentious to help with this."

"Mn." He acknowledged, just barely fighting a smile. "Would you send Niffty down when you see her? She helped too. She should see this first chance she gets." 

Charlie agreed, but after an hour Niffty still hadn't come down. Husk wasn't too bothered by it. He figured she was probably prioritizing chores anyway. He dusted the dirt off his paws and went inside, grabbing a soda from the kitchen to try to redirect the urge to drink. Vaggie watched him like a hawk as he passed the bar, but he didn't try to sneak anything. The smell nearly made him want to rip his feathers out but it wasn't worth losing the chip he'd earned. 

Passing Niffty's room on the way to his own, he faintly heard a familiar, shrill sort of hissing squeal. A better man would have just kept walking, but Husk was well aware of his status as not nearly the best of the bunch. He rested his back on the wall next to the door, one ear turned toward the activities he could hear going on inside. He already knew Pentious was a bit loud, but he was surprised to find out that apparently Niffty was a talker. He couldn't hear quite well enough to glean words, but if her tone was anything to go from she'd definitely taken his advice on taking charge.

"Get him, Niffty." He muttered fondly, and very quietly so as not to be heard and give himself away. He offered some mental encouragement to Pentious as well.

"Fuckin' dirty old man." Angel grumbled at Husk as he passed a few minutes later, knowing exactly what Husk was doing at a glance and perhaps whatever the spider's equivalent of a sniff was. 

"The fuck do you care?" Husk asked, though he could concede that he _was_ being a bit creepy. 

"They ain't gonna invite you to join." Angel rolled his eyes and continued on his way down the hall toward the stairwell. "Life ain't porn. Trust me, I _know._ " 

Earning judgement from someone like Angel just pushed the point, and Husk resumed the trek to his room like he should have in the first place. He drank his soda, lamenting the fact that a clear head made it all too difficult to keep from judging himself. It also meant he was still very focused on wondering about the other two. He cleaned under his claws since there was still dirt under there from the garden, just for something to do with his hands. 

Headaches and nausea kept Husk from acting on any vague fantasies prompted by what he had heard which he supposed was a good thing. Instead he took a shower, more to just stand under the hot spray of water rather than to actually bathe. He then dried off and went to bed to take a nap. He didn't care that it was still early. He was exhausted anyway. He'd only just laid down when a knock sounded. He couldn't remember if he'd locked his door or not, so he groaned and pushed himself back up. 

He opened the door to see Niffty, her arms crossed and a dangerous sort of grin on her face. 

"You're not sneaky." She scolded, holding up a red feather, though she didn't actually seem too bothered.

He shrugged but didn't bother denying it. "Cat. I heard a   
noise and got curious."

"Well your curiosity is incredibly indecent." Pentious pointed out, making his presence known from the hallway. "You know what I sound like anyway." 

"Well stop being indecent in the hallway." Husk ushered them both in and shut the door. "Doesn't mean I like listening to you any less."

Pentious blushed and scoffed while Niffty giggled. 

"So you ain't mad." Husk observed.

"Oh gosh no!" Niffty assured. "Hell knows I've listened to you two go at it plenty of times. It helps me write."

Pentious squawked at that. Husk covered his own face, not sure whether to let himself laugh or not. He was too tired and it was too early for this, but he would take this oddly comfortable awkwardness over being alone with his thoughts.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its Extermination day, unfortunately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't given up on this btw, I just cant control where my brain goes.

The yearly Extermination was coming up. The Hotel would be safe, Charlie had promised. The place was warded and they'd all just hole up in the basement and be very quiet for the day. It was better than what Husk was usually used to. That being finding somewhere to lay low and if an Angel seemed to be getting too close he'd claw out his own throat to bleed out and let the Angel think one of their own had already got to him. Hell wasn't the first time he'd had to play the 'cover yourself in blood and play dead trick' but it was certainly a more severe version of it. If he offed himself at least he'd eventually get up. If an Angel did it then there'd be no one to keep an eye on his brother.

Thinking of Alastor, the bastard had said he'd be busy and promptly fucked off for months. Angel still came in weekly for his counselling with Charlie and he let Husk know that Alastor was fine, and that they were just doing some construction on their house. Husk wasn't sure why that seemed to require isolation but he wasn't about to question it. He knew the Radio Tower was warded too and Angels usually didn't even seem to see it. 

Pentious, Husk _was_ worried about. Sure the guy had made it through over a hundred Exterminations, protected by the armor of the airship and always the first to the scene of new potential territory. Still Husk had seen Alastor wreck the blimp like it was tissue paper and even Alastor usually went into hiding during Exterminations. 

"Even if they breach the outer hull the inner workshop has no doors. It's indetectable if you do not know it's there." Pentious assured him when he felt the need to ask the snake if he wanted to stay at the Hotel for the day. "I've been in Hell much longer than you have. Don't fret!" 

It ended up starting hours earlier than they expected. Vaggie and Charlie herded every demon in the hotel down to the basement, grabbing the check-in book to call roll and make sure everyone was accounted for. One name went uncalled, as it wasn't written in the book. Staff, not a guest. Still Husk felt the absence. 

"Where's Niffty?" He asked, looking around the dark basement but not seeing or hearing the ladybug. She was small, maybe he'd just missed her coming down.

"Niffty?" Charlie called, looking around. 

No answer.

"Fuck." Husk gruffed, heading back up the stairs.

The sirens were still going off. There was probably time to go find her. There were a few places he knew she might hide to wait this shit out and even if he couldn't bring her back to the hotel he could at least stay with her. Try to protect her if need be. First place was easy to check since it was hovering in sight.

"Please tell me Niffty is in there with you?" Husk asked, gliding alongside the airship.

"Why are you outside?" Pentious had a microphone and speaker attached to the outside of the ship so he could have conversations without leaving it. "Ssssshe'ss not at the hotel?" Pentious answered after registering what Husk was asking, worry clear in his tone.

"Shit." Husk sighed "Keep an eye out. I'll keep searching." He said, grateful for his wings as he could go over the panicking crowd of demons instead of having to struggle through it.

She wasn't actually very far from the hotel when Husk finally found her, tucked between the dumpster and wall behind a near grocery store. He wouldn't have even seen her at all if not for the defensive cloud of stinging insects surrounding her. She was scared, he knew, and with good reason. The Angels had started to descend, glowing holy weaponry sparkling in the sky to be seen even before the grey winged forms of Seraphs could be seen. Husk dove toward her, landing roughly.

"What are you doing outside?" He called over the buzzing, echoing Pentious's earlier question to him. 

"I was on my way back!" Niffty cried. "It usually doesn't start this early!" 

Husk let out a string of curses as he flapped a wing to blow a small gust of wind to get the wasps away from him so he could get closer to Niffty. She allowed it, spreading the swarm so it wasn't as dense. He looked to the street and frowned. The panicky crowd would slow him down, but flying would draw attention. Their best bet for now was to stay put where they were and hope no Angel noticed. So they stayed low and quiet as possible.

At least until the crowd finally thinned and an Angel stepped into the alley. It turned its head slowly, its single eye fixing on the two demons. It carried a broadsword, which it raised as it stepped toward them, smiling sweetly.

"May you be purged of your sins and finally find rest." It said in a tone far too soft for the fact it had an intent to kill.

"Not fucking today." Husk hissed and, seeing no other option now, held Niffty flush to his chest and took to the sky, adrenaline giving him a burst of speed he didn't normally have. She squirmed, more out of fear than discomfort and the wasps started buzzing more frantically as the Seraph followed. 

It had its own set of wings after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter specifically ties into Baby Talk btw because thats why Al's fucked off for a while.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Husk isn't the best flyer but adrenaline and physics helps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shooooort

The airship was closer than the hotel, Husk knew. Mostly because he could see it. He might not last long enough to get to the hotel, he'd flown for an hour solid looking for Niffty and hadn't been able to rest them properly. They'd give out if he pushed himself too hard, but the ladybug's safety was on the line so he couldn't afford not to.

"I found Niffty but there's a motherfucking Angel on my six! Little help?" He called once he was within earshot of the ship, weaving through the spaces between the taller buildings as he went. "You got guns all over the blimp."

"Airship" Pentious corrected, more out of habit at this point. "Can't get a clear shot." 

"If I slow down me and Niffty are fucked!" Husk yowled, even wasting his breath talking starting to burn his overworked lungs. "This asshole's got a huge sword in case you haven't noticed."

Pentious did try to steer the ship in between Husk and the Angel, but between the dirigible being too big to move quickly and the Angel and Husk both flying far faster than Pentious could manage to follow with his guns it was turning out to be a lost cause. It was a tricky situation, but luckily Pentious's strongest card had always been his mind. Once he put the problem into his mind as one of engineering, the best solution was a surprisingly simple one.

"Husk, your wings are short!" Pentious declared, sounding oddly excited.

"Really not the time to be bringing up a guy's wingspan." Husk said dryly, adrenaline being the only thing keeping his wings working.

"Ssseraphs have long, narrow wingss. You have short, wide wingsss." Pentious elaborated. "They are fasster but _you_ can maneuver."

"I ain't some trick-flyer!" Husk protested.

"You don't have to be." Pentious assured. "Fly at the gun toward the basse of the ssship."

"Are you nuts?!"

"Irrelevant." Pentious said sharply. "Trusst me." 

Husk, not having many other options, tucked one of his wings to fall and turn sharply at the same time for a moment, then flapped toward the gun. The Angel behind him was gaining and he could feel Niffty's quivering hands grip his fur harder. Her wasps weren't deterring the Angel much and she didn't have the energy to manifest more. The chamber of the gun started to spin and glow as Husk got closer to it and it spun like a jet turbine.

"Husk! Drop!" Pentious ordered, and Husk used his next downstroke to wrap his wings around Niffty as he fell. 

He heard an explosion and felt heat singe the feathers at the end of his tail, but the Angel caught the brunt of the shot in its grey face. Niffty screamed, both in fear of the situation and the sudden smell of fire. His ears rang, and between the loud sound and past few minutes of struggle for survival it took all he had to stay lucid. Instinct tried to turn Husk around as he fell, but he kept his back downward to cushion the fall for the smaller woman. He didn't hit the ground, instead being scooped out of the air with a mechanical arm. It was still a jarring landing and he could feel his shoulder pop out of its socket but it was still far better than hitting the ground.

The exterminator was barely hurt by the blast, but had been stunned long enough for Pentious to get his partners inside, Husk passing a shaking and non-reactive Niffty to an eggboi before collapsing, his legs too unsteady to hold him up and his wings falling slack. No longer in immediate danger, the noise of the blast was starting to get to him and panic induced fatigue was setting in. 

"Get her a doll or make one and take her to the inner workssshop." Pentious hissed at the egg holding Niffty, before seeing to the cat. "I know what sshe needsss. What do _you_ need?"

 _I need a fucking drink,_ Husk thought, but a lack of breath prevented him from being able to say it outloud. He couldn't get himself to say anything, but as Pentious grabbed him to help get him back on his feet he clung to the snake's jacket with his good arm and made sure his claws only breached fabric and not scales. Pentious graciously took that as an answer, holding Husk and letting the cat ground himself with the feel of the other's cold body. 

"We need to get further inside. We've got Heaven's attention now and Angels tend to flock." Pentious said softly after giving Husk the much needed moment to compose himself. "They'll be tearing at the hull any moment."

"Thought you said the ship's strong enough to hold the Angels off?" Husk pointed out.

"Yes, well. I don't make a habit of shooting Seraphs in the face." Pentious chuckled. "A Cherub might be more forgiving but Seraphs hold grudges. Thank goodness Archangels don't typically participate in this mess…"

"How do you even know this shit?" Husk asked, leaning heavily on Pentious as the snake lead him to the trick panel and through the innards of the ship to the workshop he'd sent Niffty.

"I've been around a long time. I pay attention." Pentious answered simply. 

Inside the workshop, Niffty was seated on the table coddling a makeshift doll made of scrap leather and spare parts while three eggs were busy checking her for any injuries that needed correcting to heal properly. Luckily she didn't have more than a few minor bruises and burns. Another egg came up to Husk, setting the cat's shoulder before even needing to be asked.

"Don't either of you ever ssscare me like that again." Pentious said, suddenly seething now that they were all as safe as they were going to get for the day.


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Extermination Day ends with a bang, and not the fun sort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of gore in this one along with temporary death but hey, demonic healing.

Husk had curled up tightly on the floor, paws over his ears and hiding in his wings. All three demons could hear banging from the outer hull of the ship, Angels trying to break their way in. They hadn't managed to do so yet. Holy weapons did no better than normal ones when faced with soulless metal. Still the noise, paired with the stress of the day, was getting to Husk who was only mentally descending even though Niffty was beginning to calm down. 

Sir Pentious was shaking, but hiding it as well as he could. The eggbois, showing a rare wisdom, chose not to comment on it if they noticed. Even with their limited intelligence they could perceive the seriousness of the situation.

Niffty had spent her time after regaining lucidity staring at Husk. They had to be quiet just in case any Angels actually got in, not to risk being heard, but she was thinking. She'd seen Husk in a fit or two before but none so passive. Usually his nerves swayed toward aggressive, lashing out at anything within reach or, much more commonly, himself. This was a new sort of nearly catatonic cowering. The difference was probably due to the fact he was fully sober for the first time in decades. 

Niffty hopped down from her seat on the worktable, leaving the makeshift doll the eggs had made for her behind. Carefully she approached, for once in her afterlife having the control to keep her movements slow. She placed a hand gingerly on the wrist joint of Husk's wing, pulling it up. The cat flinched but didn't pull away; A reaction but not a rejection. 

Pentious watched as Niffty got the barrier of the red wing out of the way and began to pry Husk's paws from his ears. His claws came away bloody and his ears were torn. They would heal of course but it was still difficult to look at. Pentious sighed, leaning heavily against the table. Exterminations were always a drain but this one was turning out to be especially stressful.

Husk eventually calmed enough to recognize his surroundings, and the little ladybug holding onto his paws to keep him from doing any more accidental damage to himself. Pentious couldn't help the small smile of relief at the sight of them both safe and starting to come down from their respective panic attacks. His smile only widened when Niffty kissed the cat's shredded ear and Husk pulled the ladybug into his arms. 

"We're all sssafe." Pentious said quietly.

A long drawn out creak sounded, metal straining, then footsteps. Between Angels running warm and the vibrations through the ship, Pentious could tell about where it was when it stepped closer to the heart of the ship where the three were hiding. It wouldn't find them, he was sure, even when a few other Angels joined in the search. Luckily the Seraphs didn't seem too interested in wasting time and left. Unluckily not before jamming the engines of the ship. 

"Just had to jinx it." Niffty sighed..

"Oh of coursssse…" Pentious hissed. "Jussst fixed everything too." 

"I can't fly with both of you." Husk warned as the airship pitched, throwing the occupants to the side. There was an audible crunch as Husk landed, shielding Niffty but hitting the wall hard with his wing. "Can't fly at all, _fuck_."

Several tools, machine parts, and spare scrap were thrown as well, though luckily the worktable was bolted in place.

"We can't leave the blimp anyway." Niffty pointed out.

"Airship." Pentious corrected, but agreed. "We can recover from a fall. We _won't_ recover from an Angel's sword."

"Down we go, then." Husk gruffed.

Pentious pulled both of his lovers into his coils and grabbed onto the worktable. They all fit together under the table, intending to use the top of it as a barrier between themselves and all of the debris crashing around them. It only did so much before all three were engulfed in dark nothing.

Niffty was the first to wake up, as her body had taken the least amount of damage. The bit of sky she could see through the cracked hull was at a low light, either dawn or dusk but she couldn't be sure which. She looked at the two bodies around her, along with the countless eggshells and runny yolk everywhere. She had to push Pentious off of her, as well as Husk's wing which she realized as she picked it up was no longer attached to his body. 

"Oh gosh…" Niffty exclaimed, trying to put the wing back. It would need to be sewn back on to heal quickly, or if it was left severed long enough a new one would grow back. Most of his tail was absent as well, but she couldn't locate that. He'd just have to be a bobtail for a while.

Pentious was all in one piece at least, but had clearly been caught by a fair amount of shrapnel. The a lot of the eyes on his body were bleeding, having been cut or popped by impact. His hood was torn and his jaw looked broken, or at least unhinged. Niffty felt to check and it turned out to be the latter so she carefully popped it back into place. She didn't know if he would need it or not, being a snake, but just in case it was always easier to put a joint back in on a sleeping, or in this case temporarily dead, person.

She couldn't see any angels and wondered, hoped, that the Extermination was over. She wasn't sure if she would be able to drag her boys somewhere safe if they had to leave the wreckage of the airship before one of them got up. She could hear clicks and pops in both of them, the sounds of broken bones fusing back together, which let her know they were healing so it shouldn't be long before they would be up. Until then the best she could do was makes sure their bones set how they should and sit with them. 

Husk was first, sitting up and scrubbing his face before looking around. His severed wing didn't quite follow, falling from where Niffty had tried to stick it back on but only managing to heal by a thread which wasn't enough for it to stay attached once he moved. He hissed in pain and let out a string of grumbled curses before reaching over to nudge Pentious who couldn't yet respond. 

"He's going to need a few more minutes." Niffty reported.

"Yeah. Fucking idiot took the worse of it for us…" Husk sighed. "Twenty-four feet of meat shield even though we were all gonna be put down regardless. Have the fireworks gone off yet?"

"I'm not sure. I was down too until a little bit ago. I'm alright so I think I just got a little smushed." Niffty shrugged.

"Better than a lot smushed." Husk chuckled dryly, nudging Pentious again.

"Eugh…" Pentious replied, having woken but only barely.

"Me too, buddy." Husk agreed, patting the swell of the snake's tail. "Take your time. Bet you got a collapsed lung or somethin'."

"Bet!" Niffty called, trying to force out some positivity. "He talked, sort of. His lungs are probably okay even if his ribs are definitely broken. Ten?"

"Ten." Husk agreed, only for Pen to roll over and start hacking up blood. "Oh look at that. Bright red's oxygenated. His lungs are fucked right now." 

Niffty grumbled, but it was good natured as she searched her pockets. They were empty but she knew that already. "Looks like I'm a little short! How about a kiss instead?"

Pentious retched up a bloody froth, ultimately ruining any sort of mood there may have possibly been.

"Maybe when our boyfriend isn't choking on himself?" Husk suggested. "Definitely cashing that one in later."

Niffty giggled, leaning over to rub the snake's back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing like near-death experiences to bring people together, huh?


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three have a calm moment taking care of Husk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Havent abandoned this i just had to get my brain to circle around again.

Sir Pentious once again had to seek housing from the Happy Hotel. The airship needed repairs after the Angel had crashed it and until then it was unlivable. Fortunately, Husk was more than willing to share his room. He had fully healed, though had several harsh scars that would stick until his next molt. In Hell the more lethal damages usually healed first while the more minor injuries tended to take longer to ensure a waking suffering. 

Husk needed assistance walking. He'd grown so used to having wings and a tail that missing one of his wings and most of his tail was wreaking havoc on his sense of balance. He couldn't take two steps by himself without tipping over so he'd kept to his room. The appendages were growing back but slowly. His tail was still considerably shortened and his wing so far looked more like it belonged on a plucked chicken rather than on a demon. 

"We need to stretch that wing." Niffty advised, climbing onto Husk's back pulling on the tip of the limb to unfold it. "It's gonna be all stiff when it's done if we don't." 

Husk, laying on his stomach in his bed, grumbled as the new muscles in the wing strained. It was already stiff, so Niffty clearly had a point. It was still tedious and he hated that it needed to be exercised every few hours for as long as it would take to grow back. It would probably take even longer to be able to fly with it again, not that he wanted to go flying any time soon. He'd had enough of being in the air for a while.

The old wing was saved by Pentious so he could take notes on it. So far he'd learned from it that demon bodies didn't seem to rot. He'd also sketched out the bone structure, taking notes on how the joints fit together and how they moved.

"Nature is the best engineer." Pentious answered when asked why he had kept the severed limb.

"Nothin' natural about a fuckin' demon." Husk gruffed.

"Oh you would be surprised!" Pentious countered. "Everything varies demon to demon based on what they got mixed up with but it always makes sense if you take time to learn _why._ "

"Okay Mr. Nature. Why do I have feathers if I'm a mammal?" Husk asked dryly, starting a debate for the sake of distraction because it halfway felt like Niffty was trying to tear the new wing off. Stretching _hurt_ but he knew it was because he'd been neglecting to do so.

Pentious hummed a moment, thoughtful. "I suppose it's because you're heavy. Muscle weighs quite a bit and the fingerbones in a bat's wing would probably snap trying to lift you. The bones in bird wings are generally sturdier." 

"I'm a bug." Niffty pitched into the conversation. "But I don't have wings."

"I don't think papery insect wings would work so well at your size…" Pentious sighed. "You are too big. They would tear."

"That's the first time anybody's said I'm too big for anything in years." Niffty giggled. "I've seen demon's with bug wings! Oh but i've never seen any of them fly… Hey if you had wings you'd be a dragon!" 

"Oh, that'd be neat." Husk agreed, then noticed a bit of a tickling feeling near where Niffty had seated herself on his back. He tried to turn his head to look, but whatever she was doing stopped as soon as he moved. "...Are you brushing me?"

"Maybe." Niffty admitted. "You really need to take better care of your fur." 

"I can't reach my own back!" Husk defended. "And usually my wings are in the way. _You_ try getting past the Great Wall of Feathery Bullshit."

Just to be contrary, Niffty scooted off of his back and shoved herself through the large primary feathers of his undamaged wing, pulling the quills in a way that felt very strange. She prodded his face and he rolled somewhat to look at her properly. She was grinning at him, bright and cheerful and far too beautiful to be wasting her energy on him. And yet here she was. Here they were. All safe for at least one more year. 

"Thank you for coming to look for me." She said softly, leaning down to kiss the side of his muzzle and giggling as his whiskers tickled her face.

"You missed, dear Niffty." Pentious murmured. "His mouth is a bit lower."

"She don't have to--" Husk began but Niffty did just that. 

Husk wished he could just accept the new development without questioning it, but the little self-loathing voice in the back of his head brought it to his attention that he didn't deserve the affection. 

"Look, I get that you're grateful but you really don't have to be this sweet to me." Husk sighed. "It's kind of a kick in the ass if you don't really mean anything by it."

"Oh for goodness sake." Pentious rolled his eyes. All of them. Even the ones all across his body. It was a very odd thing to witness. "You've known her longer than I have. You really think she would give her affections so freely out of mere gratitude?"

"Don't talk for me, Pen." Niffty scolded. "That's rude."

"Apologies." Pentious said softly.

"He's right though…" Niffty admitted. "I'm not going to say I'm not grateful. I am! But I see how much you two like each other and have fun and I want to be included. Almost dying again just kinda knocked something into the right place for me... to want to try things you guys's way?" 

"You already know I'm open to that." Pentious answered easily.

"Yeah…" Husk answered as well, dumbfounded. As his brain registered what the small woman was actually asking he more enthusiastically repeated. "Hell yeah!"


End file.
